(Tempe, AZ) For the sixth-straight year, Sun Devil Gymnastics is NCAA Regionals bound and will be in the California Regional in Berkeley, competing in the first session of the second round on April 5 with No. 6 seed Denver, No. 11 seed UCLA and Washington.
Arizona State earns a postseason bid for the sixth-straight season. In addition to the first session teams, the California Regional has No. 3 seed California, No. 14 seed Auburn and Stanford in the second session, as well as the winner of the first-round matchup on April 4 between Southern Utah and San Jose State. The top two teams from each session of the second round will move on to the regional finals on April 7.
The championship features 36 teams determined based on their national qualifying score. Regionals are held over multiple days. The first round will consist of two teams in a play-in meet, second round will consist of eight teams in two sessions and the regional final will consist of four teams. The top two teams, the top all-around competitors and the top event specialist on each event (who are not on an advancing team) from each regional will receive an automatic berth to the national championships from April 18-20 in Fort Worth, Texas.
For full brackets and more information, head to the NCAA’s website.
Team Information
Arizona State (8-5, 4-3, Pac-12) earns a spot in the postseason for the sixth-straight season, seven including the canceled 2020 postseason that the team was set to qualify for. Head coach Jay Santos has been at the helm for each of those seasons.
Despite falling short of earning a seed by being in the top 16, the Gym Devils put together a solid season, remaining in the top 25 with an NQS of 196.920 to finish the regular season ranked No. 25. The team finished the regular season with winning record for the third-consecutive season, the longest such streak since the early 2000s. ASU hasn’t had a losing record since 2017. The season high of 197.600 came on senior night against Southern Connecticut, which is the 11th-highest team score in ASU history. The beam score of 49.550 at that meet is tied for the sixth-highest in ASU history, the highest the Sun Devils have earned since 2007.
Heading into regionals, Arizona State has had 11-straight meets of 196-plus, two of which were over 197. ASU scored at least a 49.000 on all four events in nine-straight meets. The vault streak is up to 22 in a row with 49-plus, extending the program record. Additionally, the bars streak is up to 21 in a row, adding to that program record. On beam, the streak is up to nine in a row, which matches that ASU record. The team finished the season winning five of the last six meets, one of which being an upset over No. 10 UCLA at home. At the final Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships, the Gym Devils finished in sixth with 196.550, which is the fifth-highest team score at a conference championship in ASU history.
Senior Emily White has been a strong and steady force for the team all season. On senior night, she earned three 9.950s on bars, beam, and floor and set a new career high all-around record with a 39.625, which is the 15th highest all-around record in program history. She leads the team in event titles with seven and has recently returned to the all-around in the last two meets. She has 12 scores of 9.9 or better this season, five coming from floor, four on beam and one on bars.
A pair of senior event specialists have been key for the Gym Devils. Sarah Clark has been on bars and beam all season, earning five event titles. She’s had eight scores of 9.9 or better, with a 9.950 on bars being her best. On vault, Anaya Smith has been a strong point for ASU, ranked No. 18 in the nation on Road to Nationals. She has six event titles and six scores of 9.9-plus.
In the all-around, Jada Mangahas has been a strong gymnast for the Gym Devils all season. Her best all-around total was a 39.450 and she has five scores of 9.9-plus and four event titles. Graduate Hannah Scharf has only been in the all-around six times, but she has made her presence known on vault, beam and floor all year. She has nine 9.9s or better and five event titles.
The Gym Devils have 33 total event titles this season, with the most coming from vault (12). Individually, White has the most with seven. Smith is right behind her with six, all on vault. Others with titles are Clark (5), Scharf (5), Mangahas (4), Halle Gregoire (2), Alex Theodorou(2), Kayla Lee (1) and Gracie Reeves (1).
The senior experience on this team is vast, with seven seniors and two graduates. Of the 33 event titles, 28 are from seniors and graduates.
Three seniors recently announced their return for a fifth year in 2025: Clark, Mangahas and White will all be coming back next season. Between them, they have 26 scores of 9.9 or better this year, led by 12 from White. They also have 16 combined event titles in 2024.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Kimberlie Haner
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