This Saturday, Arizona Gymnastics will take on Arizona State at 3 p.m. at McKale Center.
Arizona is currently ranked 15th in the NCAA rankings, and ASU is not even in the top 25, but in the world of gymnastics, rankings don’t matter when it comes down to the meet. You can have an off night or come alive on another.
Like last weekend, Arizona had moments where it fell apart, but the Widlcats have a need to “rebound strong,” according to Arizona head coach Bill Ryden.
The Sun Devils have had a fairly weak season, losing every meet except for one. Their average score for the season is 195.032, while Arizona’s is 195.5.
Basically, this would be a huge win for ASU. Not only is this the biggest rivalry meet of the season but being the underdog in this match-up will be a reason for them to come hungry.
The Wildcats will have to find a way to work through their injuries, since they have accumulated so many this season.
Senior gymnast Molly Quirk, who is a strong competitor for the Wildcats, was out this past week recovering from surgery. Allison Flores, an all-around gymnast, could only compete on bars last week due to an injury, and Jordan Williams is still coming back from an injured knee from two weeks ago.
“I think you are going to start seeing us getting kids back and start being stronger,” Ryden said. “It’s time; we don’t have much time left. So, they are going to have to come up with something.”