The No. 19 Arizona gymnastics team went undefeated over the weekend after earning a 195.450 first place score in a quad meet on Friday in Lansing, Mich., and then defeating Texas Woman’s University 197.125-192.475 on Sunday in Denton, Texas. The mark against TWU was the season-high for the Wildcats and the third highest in team history.
Although the team shined throughout the weekend, everybody’s main concern was senior captain Allie Flores, who was injured during her floor routine against the Pioneers and was unable to finish the meet.
“She will meet with our team doctors when she gets back to Tucson,” Arizona gymnastics coach Bill Ryden said. “She sustained an injury on floor and was unable to finish the meet.”
The extent of the injury is unknown at this time and could not be commented on.
“Right now, we can’t celebrate it too much because our thoughts are with Allie,” Ryden said in a press release. “Of course, this score will help us, but when bad luck strikes like that, it’s so sad.”
The Wildcats edged out Bowling Green (195.250), Michigan State (194.350) and Eastern Michigan (195.225) in their first meet of the weekend.
The GymCats totaled a team score of 49.025 on beam. Arizona gymnasts Flores, Shelby Edwards and Madison Cindric all scored a 9.825.
Krysten Howard and Selynna Felix-Terrazas both started the event on bars with a 9.825. Flores and Lexi Mills followed with a 9.775 and 9.750, respectively.
Edwards highlighted the vault event and led the Wildcats with a 9.900. The score marked the highest individual score for Arizona in the meet.
The GymCats totaled a team score of 49.125 on floor. Flores and Jessica Sisler had the highest marks, both scoring a 9.850. Felix-Terrazas followed with a 9.825.
Ryden said that he was pleased with the overall performance and the fact that the team was able to go undefeated over the weekend.
“It was great for the team,” Ryden said. “I’m proud of the efforts and what we did. Certainly, we keep improving, and today’s meet was an example of finally seeing all the same gymnastics that we actually see in practice and then seeing it put on the competitive floor.”
The GymCats tallied the highest score in the history of TWU’s Kitty Magee Arena and their season-high on the Pioneers’ Senior Day.
“It’s a testament to overcoming adversity in a lot of ways and just believing in hard work,” Ryden said. “I can’t say enough about all of the efforts of the athletes, all the efforts of the coaches, all the efforts of the medical staff, because it’s been everyone on deck. We’ve had so many injuries and things to overcome, and we just keep plugging forward one routine at a time; it’s our basic mantra.”
The highlight of the meet was two consecutive 9.950’s scored by Sisler and Mills on beam, marking the highest total team score on beam of the season with 49.450. The score is also the second-highest in program history.
“They are both exceptional beam workers, and we knew that when they were recruited,” Ryden said. “They were just spot on and a real joy to watch. The beam team as a whole was amazing, and those two were really amazing.”
Arizona received a total team score of 49.275 on bars, good for the second-highest of the season. Sisler led the Wildcats on floor with a 9.875, and Cindric nailed a career-high routine in the event with a 9.850.
Edwards led her team on vault with a 9.875, and Cindric followed with another career high of 9.850.
Arizona will travel back home to face Denver for its final home meet of the season and Senior Day in McKale Center on Saturday.
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