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Rebecca Sasnett / Arizona Athletics

Gymnastics Arizona Athletics

GymCats Set for Pac-12 Championships

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona will head to Pac-12 Championships on Saturday, March 18 in West Valley City, Utah. The GymCats will compete in Session 1 of the Championship which will begin at 12:00 p.m. MST and will be aired on Pac-12 Networks.

Arizona will face No. 14 Arizona State, No. 19 Stanford, and Washington in Session 1.

Last week, Arizona scored a season best 197.275, the third-highest score in program history, in its final home meet against BYU. To close out the regular season, the GymCats competed in a quad meet at Cal with Sacramento State and UC Davis and posted a 196.525.

A complete preview of Saturday's meets can be found below.
 

GYMCATS SET FOR PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Arizona will compete in Session 1 of the Pac-12 Championships on Saturday. Session 1 includes Arizona State, Stanford, and Washington. The GymCats will begin the meet on floor and rotate to vault, bars, then beam. 

LAST WEEK: 
The GymCats scored a season high 197.275 to take down BYU on senior night, the third-highest score in program history. The floor team posted a 49.500 against the Cougars which is tied for the second-highest floor score in program history. At Cal's quad meet, Arizona placed second with a 196.525.

IN THE RANKINGS: After week 10, Arizona is ranked No. 28 overall in the Road to Nationals rankings with a team NQS of 196.570.   
  • Vault: No. 21
  • Uneven Bars: No. 35
  • Balance Beam: No. 14
  • Floor Exercise: No. 37

CAREER HIGH TRACKER:
After 10 weeks, 11 different GymCats have set career highs this season.  
  • 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] 
  • Arizona vs. Cal: 4 
    • Deets [UB - 9.90 & BB - 9.875]
    • Fears [BB - 9.85]
    • LaRusso [UB - 9.75] 
    • Mueller [FX - 9.90]
  • Arizona at Arizona State: 4 
    • Castles [VT - 9.90 & BB - 9.90]
    • Deets [BB - 9.875]
    • Hargrove [VT - 9.95]
    • LaRusso [VT - 9.80, UB - 9.775, FX - 9.85] 
  • Arizona at Stanford: 3 
    • Burhans [BB - 9.775]
    • LaRusso [VT - 9.800]
    • Strom [VT - 9.60 & FX - 9.675]
  • Arizona vs. Washington: 3 
    • Castles [BB - 9.925]
    • LaRusso [VT - 9.85]
    • Raskin [UB - 9.775]
  • Arizona vs. Oregon State: 3 
    • Hargrove [VT - 9.975; BB & FX - 9.925; AA - 39.550]
    • LaRusso [UB - 9.80]
    • Schultz [FX - 9.85]
  • Arizona at Utah: 4 
    • Deets [BB - 9.875]
    • Fears [UB - 9.925]
    • LaRusso [VT - 9.875; FX - 9.85]
    • Nosek [VT - 9.85]
  • Arizona vs. BYU: 7
    • Deets [FX - 9.925]
    • Fears [UB - 9.925; BB - 9.850]
    • Hargrove [BB - 9.925; FX - 9.925]
    • LaRusso [FX - 9.85]
    • McCabe [UB - 9.90]
    • Nosek [VT - 9.85]
    • Raskin [UB - 9.85]
  • Arizona at Cal Quad Meet: 3
    • Fears [UB - 9.925; BB - 9.850]
    • LaRusso [VT - 9.875]
    • Strom [FX - 9.775]

PAC-12 COACHES AWARD:
Two GymCats have earned the Pac-12 Coaches Choice Award during the 2023 season. 
  • Elizabeth LaRusso earned the award after posting three career high scores to help the GymCats post a season high score at Arizona State.  
  • Malia Hargrove earned the award after posting four career highs at Oregon State. 

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. 

 
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Players Mentioned

Malia Hargrove

Malia Hargrove

5' 1"
Freshman
Sirena Linton

Sirena Linton

5' 2"
Freshman
Alysen Fears

Alysen Fears

5' 4"
Sophomore
Caroline Herry

Caroline Herry

5' 1"
Junior
Elizabeth LaRusso

Elizabeth LaRusso

5' 1"
Sophomore
Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

5' 2"
Sophomore
Gianna Lenczner

Gianna Lenczner

5' 5"
Freshman
Jordan Schultz

Jordan Schultz

5' 2"
Freshman
Sophia Stephens

Sophia Stephens

5' 5"
Freshman
Emma Strom

Emma Strom

5' 4"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Malia Hargrove

Malia Hargrove

5' 1"
Freshman
Sirena Linton

Sirena Linton

5' 2"
Freshman
Alysen Fears

Alysen Fears

5' 4"
Sophomore
Caroline Herry

Caroline Herry

5' 1"
Junior
Elizabeth LaRusso

Elizabeth LaRusso

5' 1"
Sophomore
Emily Mueller

Emily Mueller

5' 2"
Sophomore
Gianna Lenczner

Gianna Lenczner

5' 5"
Freshman
Jordan Schultz

Jordan Schultz

5' 2"
Freshman
Sophia Stephens

Sophia Stephens

5' 5"
Freshman
Emma Strom

Emma Strom

5' 4"
Freshman
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