SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The 2015 post season officially began for Arizona gymnastics after they competed at the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday. The Wildcats finished in first place for the first session with a score of 196.225 and finished fifth overall in the conference. Junior Jessie Sisler was named the 2015 Pac-12 Floor Champion along with UCLA's Samantha Peszek and Utah's Georgia Dabritz.
“We are in one of the most competitive conferences in the country,” said head coach Bill Ryden. “We knew going in that everyone competing today was going to be really good so we just had to hope that we could compete well throughout the day. I honestly don't think we could have prepared anymore. I felt that we had done everything we could do so it was a matter of how they executed what we have practiced.”
As the No. 5 seed, the highest in session one, the Wildcats were given the home meet rotation – vault, bars, beam and finishing with floor. In the first rotation the team received a total score of 48.875.
“We are still trying to fill the hole after Allie's (Flores') injury,” said Ryden. “The first event is always tough so I knew we had to do our very best to have a good start to the meet. Scoring almost a 49 and considering that it is our weakest event and it was the first event, I was very pleased.”
Sisler earned the highest score for the team on the event with a 9.825. Freshman Madison Cindric, sophomore Gabby Laub and junior Shelby Edwards each received 9.775's. Sophomore Selynna Felix-Terrazas earned a 9.725. In her first vault appearance of the season senior Amber Wobma posted a 9.525.
The Wildcats continued on bars for the second rotation and earned a 48.975.
“Going into bars I knew we had to hit every routine,” said Ryden. “We had a rough practice on bars yesterday and even a rough warmup but I believed in these six girls because they've done so well all season. Everyone did their job tonight and I couldn't have asked for more.”
Leading the team on bars for the second week in a row was Cindric after she scored a 9.850, the highest score of the meet thus far. After a beautiful routine Felix-Terrazas earned a 9.825. Sophomore Krysten Howard received a 9.775 and junior Lexi Mills received a 9.725. Despite her jaw dropping release, freshman Victoria Ortiz unfortunately fell later in her routine to earn a 9.175.
The Wildcats moved into the third rotation in second place behind Washington. The momentum began to pick up for the Wildcats on beam however, when they earned a 49.100 on the event.
“Once we got through bars I knew good things were coming for us,” said Ryden. “I'm so confident in our beam and floor teams to hit all twelve routines. I was thinking, however, are we going to hit well or are we going to nickel and dime ourselves? We did nickel and dime ourselves a bit, but overall they did a fantastic job.”
Mills and Cindric, the last two gymnasts in the beam lineup earned the highest scores for the team with 9.850's. Howard, in her third appearance on the apparatus scored a 9.825. Senior Shay Fox, Sisler and Edwards earned scores of 9.800, 9.775 and 9.750, respectively.
The Wildcats remained in second place moving into the final rotation, this time behind California. The momentum the team gained during the third rotation seemed to carry into the floor routines after earning a team score of 49.275.
“Going into floor I was confident in our lineup,” said Ryden. “I knew it was going to be a close finish but I had no idea it was going to come down to the final routine. This team does not give up and they made a huge comeback on floor. Jessie (Sisler) had a great meet tonight and her final routine was that push we needed to move ahead.”
Sisler earned a 9.950, the highest score given during the first session. Her score earned a spot in a three way tie for first place on the event. Freshman Kennady Schneider, once again a crowd favorite on floor, received a 9.875 tying her career high. Mills contributed a score of 9.850. Cindric, Fox and Felix-Terrazas, the first three floor competitors each earned scores of 9.800.
Cindric competed in the all-around competition for the second time in a row and earned an all-around score of 39.275. She finished third in the session behind California's Toni-Ann Williams and Washington's Allison Northey.
“It was a fun meet and a really exciting ending,” said Ryden. “I'm looking forward to where we are placed for regionals. This team has overcome so many obstacles this season and they have only come out stronger. I'm just so proud of them.”
Arizona's success during the regular season has earned them a trip to a regional competition. The team will find out which regional competition they will compete in on Monday, March 23.
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