TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona is set to welcome the No. 6 Golden Bears to McKale Center on Friday, Jan. 20. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. MST and will be live streamed on
Pac-12 Insider.
Last week, the GymCats hosted then-No. 15 Illinois, Texas Woman's and Bowling Green for their home opener. Arizona won the meet with a 195.875.
A complete preview of Friday's meet can be found below.
PAC-12 HOME OPENER: The GymCats will host No. 6 California for the Pac-12 home opener. Arizona is looking to pick up its second win of the season as they take on the Golden Bears.
LAST WEEK: Arizona hosted then-No. 15 Illinois, Texas Woman's and Bowling Green for their home opener. Arizona won the meet with a 195.875. The GymCats won every event - Hargrove won vault and floor, Fears won bars, Linton won beam - and
Jessica Castles was named Gymnast of the Meet.
IN THE RANKINGS: After week 2, Arizona is ranked No. 33 overall in the Road to Nationals rankings.
- Vault: No. 41
- Uneven Bars: No. 45
- Balance Beam: No. 18
- Floor Exercise: No. 18
CAREER HIGH TRACKER: After two weeks, three GymCats have set career highs.
- Ohio State Quad Meet: 2
- LaRusso [VT - 9.80]
- Mueller [BB - 9.90]
- Arizona Quad Meet: 2
- Fears [UB - 9.90]
- LaRusso [UB - 9.60]
FRESH FACES: The GymCats welcomed five freshmen to the team this season.
Gianna Lenczner,
Indigo Morgan,
Jordan Schultz,
Sophia Stephens, and
Emma Strom are all freshmen.
FAMILIAR FACES: Arizona returns 16 gymnasts from last season. Among the 16 returners are seniors
Malia Hargrove and
Sirena Linton, two standouts who competed in all 13 meets last year. Linton was named second team All-American on the balance beam after earning a 9.9125 at the NCAA Championships as an individual competitor. Sophomores
Alysen Fears and
Emily Mueller also return for Arizona following breakout freshman campaigns.
COACHING STAFF: The GymCats have a very accomplished coaching staff.
John Court enters his fifth year as head coach and 25th year on staff in Tucson. Associate head coach
Taylor Spears, the 2014 NCAA individual beam champion, is in her fifth season on Arizona's staff and has helped the beam team improve every year. Assistant coach Dallas Becerra and volunteer assistant Kylie Kratchwell enter their first year with the GymCats.
PRESEASON POLLS: Arizona was picked to finish eighth in the preseason Pac-12 coaches poll. In the WGCA preseason poll, the GymCats were picked to finish 25th.
PRESEASON WATCH LIST: The first ever Pac-12 Preseason Watch List was released this season.
Malia Hargrove and
Caroline Herry represented Arizona on the watch list.
