Arizona vs. Illinois-Chicago, Sacramento State and Wisconsin-Stout
Friday, Jan. 16 // 7 p.m. (MST)
Tucson, Ariz.
Live Stats: HERE
Live Stream: HERE
TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona gymnastics team will host a quad meet for the season’s home opener on Friday, Jan. 16. Arizona, ranked No. 18, will face Illinois-Chicago, Sacrament State and Wisconsin-Stout at 7 p.m. in McKale.
“We have quality competition coming in so we have to stay focused,” head coach Bill Ryden said. “Even though it’s a home meet it can still be a big challenge because friends and family will be in the stands. We will have to stay within our group and stay focused. Our goal will just to take it one routine at a time.”
The meet will be available on live stream on the Pac-12 website. Live stats will be available during the meet. There will also be updates on Twitter @AZGymnastics and updates after each event on Facebook.com/ArizonaGymnastics.
Scouting the Opposition:
Illinois-Chicago: The Flames are traveling for the first time this season after a loss at home to Northern Wisconsin, 192.250 – 189.575. Last year the Flames finished the season with an overall record of 4-9 overall. The team has four newcomers and 12 returnees. The Flames will be led by senior Gabrielle May finished third on the uneven bars against Arizona last season.
Sacramento State: Sac State will look to come back after their loss to No. 14 California (194.875-194.250). The hornets are returning 13 gymnasts and have six newcomers. Last season the team finished with a record of 11-13. The Hornets won the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship last March with a score of 195.650.
Wisconsin-Stout: The Blue Devils recently competed against UW-Whitewater and finished with a loss 183.275-177.850. The team finished the 2014 season with a record of 7-13 overall and 2-2 in duals. The team is returning eight gymnasts and have added five new gymnasts to the roster.
2014 Arizona Review:
The Wildcats advanced to their 28th consecutive NCAA Regional Championships. Finishing sixth in the competition, the Wildcats received a final score of 194.825. Arizona finished the season ranked No. 21 in the nation.
Arizona was led by junior Allie Flores who was the lone all-around competitor at the NCAA Regional competition. Flores earned a score of 39.200 at Regionals. Last season, she competed in nine all-around competitions making it her first year as an all-around competitor. She also was named First Team All-Conference.
Flores was joined by current junior Shelby Edwards as Pac-12 Vault Co-Champions. Edwards placed fourth on vault at the NCAA Regional Competition. Current senior, Kristin Klarenbach placed fifth on floor at Regionals as well and named All-America.
Look Out for New GymCats:
The Wildcats added three new faces to the team this season including Tucson native, Victoria Ortiz. Alongside Ortiz is Madison Cindric who comes from Lantana, Tex., and Kennady Schneider from Henderson, Nev. Ryden anticipates all three gymnasts to make immediate impacts on the lineups this season. Their debut at Alabama shows a promising future as they demonstrated to be confident and composed at their first meet. Cindric scored a 9.750 on bars, 9.675 on beam and 9.725 on floor. Schneider earned a score of 9.725 on beam and 9.675 on floor. Ortiz had a strong performance on bars earning a score of 9.775.
Pre-season Rankings:
The Arizona gymnastics team will begin the season ranked No. 21 in the 2015 Women’s Pre-Season Coaches Poll. The Wildcats are one of seven Pac-12 teams to be ranked in the top 25 including No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Utah, No. 10 Stanford, No. 11 Oregon State and No. 14 California. After Arizona’s opening meet score of 194.375 the team moved up to No. 18.
Ryden’s Record:
Head coach Bill Ryden finished out the 2014 season with an overall record of 202-204-3.
Coming up:
The Wildcats will head to Los Angeles for a meet against Pac-12 rival, UCLA. The meet will be held on Mon., Jan. 19 at 2p.m., and will be aired on the Pac-12 Network. UCLA recently defeated fellow Pac-12 rival, Oregon State 196.00-195.450.
For continued coverage of Arizona Gymnastics, follow the team at facebook.com/ArizonaGymnastics and on Twitter @AZGymnastics.
