The weather in Chicago may have felt like negative-22 degrees, but that certainly couldn’t cool down the No. 20 Arizona gymnastics team as it defeated Illinois-Chicago (1-5) 194.750 – 192.275 Saturday.

For the second consecutive week, the Gymcats (4-2, 1-2 Pacific 10 Conference) upped their season-high total as they notched their first road win of the season and for the second consecutive week left a meet with mixed feelings.

“”We’re getting better,”” said UA head coach Bill Ryden. “”We started out like gangbusters on the first three events, but then had two falls on the beam.””

Arizona was forced to count one of the falls into the overall score, which was one of the few blemishes in an otherwise strong meet.

“”We performed really well,”” said senior Karin Wurm. “”We improved from last week and each week we’re showing more confidence.””

Wurm led Arizona individually with event titles on the floor with a 9.850 and a meet-high 9.900 on the uneven bars. She also won the all-around title for second week in a row.

“”That was Karin being Karin,”” Ryden said. “”She’s the competitive leader of this team when she’s on. And she’s getting better.””

Wurm began the season in a limited capacity due to a stress fracture in her ankle, but said it’s feeling better.

“”I feel like I’m finally getting back into the groove of things,”” she said.

Sophomore Miranda Russell was re-inserted into the vault lineup and won the event with a 9.850, with teammates Bree Workman and Wurm finishing second and third with a 9.825 and 9.800, respectively.

Senior Danielle Hicks continued her dominance on the beam, winning the individual title for the third time this season. Hicks’ performance overshadowed two falls, which continued to plague Arizona.

“”We need to not be so nervous,”” Workman said. “”We are concentrating too hard on reaching 195, and we are putting more pressure on ourselves.””