March 23, 2013
COMPLETE RESULTS
CORAVLLIS, Ore. – The No. 17 Arizona women's gymnastics team earned a score of 195.525 in the first session of the Pac-12 Championships. The Cats fought hard for a second place finish after struggling through the first event and counting a fall in the third. Washington won the session with a score of 195.875, California came in third with a 195.075 and Arizona State rounded out the afternoon with a 193.425.
The Wildcats had a rough start, opening the meet with two floor routines that went out of bounds. The remaining routines helped to salvage a score of 48.800. Freshman Jessie Sisler and sophomore Amber Wobma posted twin 9.750's, and sophomore Kristin Klarenbach earned a 9.825. Senior Aubree Cristello wrapped up the event with an exclamation point, performing the meet winning routine for a 9.900.
“Aubree really lived up to her potential in that routine. I was very proud of her, and when she landed her last pass we knew she had done something special,” head coach Bill Ryden commented. “I personally was very pleased when they threw up the 9.900 - the fact that the highest score in the meet was awarded in the first rotation says everything about how great Aubree's routine was.”
The Cats worked to earn some points back in event number two, where they posted the season's second highest vault total of 49.200. Junior Shana Sangston opened the event for team with a 9.750, and Amber Wobma contributed a 9.775. Sophomores Danielle Buchanan and Klarenbach both tied their career highs; Buchanan posted her sixth consecutive score of 9.800 or better with a 9.825, and Klarenbach received a 9.850. Also with a 9.850 was freshman Shelby Edwards in her fifth performance of the season. Cristello then completed the vault lineup with another 9.900 for her second event title of the afternoon.
From there the team traveled to bars where they were forced to count a fall. Despite the low score of 48.450, the Cats were able to walk away with some positives. Cristello hit for a 9.775, and Edwards made her lineup debut to tie with sophomore Allison Flores for a 9.800.
“Shelby did great. She's only been working bar routines for two weeks, so for her to go up after two falls and stop the bleeding like that was just incredible,” Ryden said.
After suffering a fall last week, junior Jordan Williams redeemed herself to finish out the lineup with a third place score of 9.850.
The fight in the Wildcats really showed through in the last event, as the beam team went six for six for a 49.075. Flores opened the event with 9.750 followed by freshman Lexi Mills with a 9.775. Wobma then earned her career high beam score after a beautiful set for a 9.850.
“Amber's beam set was great. When she hopped back on her dismount I just kind of sighed. The only deduction that could've been taken from that routine was on that landing – that's how flawless it was,” Ryden commented.
Cristello also posted a 9.850, tying Wobma for second place on the event. Edwards and Williams performed as well, both earning scores of 9.800.
In the all-around, Cristello tied for first place with a score of 39.425.
Overall, Ryden sees a need for improvement heading into the post season.
“We are not happy with the meet. As a team and as a coaching staff we know we left a lot out there. However, we are incredibly proud of the team's fight. We finished on a high note, but we have a lot to learn and a lot to take care of before Regionals,” Ryden concluded.
The Cats now await the determination of the location they will compete at the 2013 NCAA Regional Championships. Competition selections will start by seeding based on final RQS scores after the conference meets across the nation. From there, hosts and regional proximity are also taken into consideration. Selections will be determined this Monday, March 25 at 3:00 p.m. ET live via www.NCAA.com.
