In front of a wild crowd in McKale Center, No. 13 Stanford gymnastics defeated No. 20 Arizona 196.650-196.150 Saturday night, a meet dedicated to heroes and mentors.
The meet was extra special for Arizona head coach Tabitha Yim, who coached and was a gymnast at Stanford.
“It’s a really special night,” Yim said. “More than anything, I was just excited to have them here and like I said, [Stanford head coach] Krysten Smith has been a mentor to me and a great friend. I was just excited to see her and give her a hug.”
Senior Jessie Sisler echoed Yim’s point about how special the night was for both the Gymcats and her head coach.
“I think for her it was probably pretty cool because she respects the Stanford staff and she is really close with the coaches,” Sisler said. “She learned a lot from those coaches. For her to come out here and show her team how we did, I think we did really well and she has grown a really awesome team and a family environment here.”
The GymCats started the meet off on vault, combining for a total team score of 49.050. Sophomore Madison Cindric highlighted the event with an average score of 9.850. Shelby Edwards and Lauryn Mattson both tallied routines of 9.825 as well.
“There was so many people here, which always gives us so much energy when we compete and we get to see all of our fans here,” Edwards said. “I love being able have my teammates back right from the start. We love getting sticks, especially at home because we get to hear the chant.”
In their second rotation of the night, the Wildcats tallied a team score of 48.950. Junior Selynna Felix-Terrazas hit the highest average score for the UA with a 9.825. Lexi Mills also contributed a score of 9.800.
Arizona excelled on beam, combining for a team score of 49.125. Sisler and junior Krysten Howard nailed their routines, both with scores of 9.850.
Sisler led the team on floor with a score of 9.900, adding to their combined team score of 49.025.
The meet concluded with Yim and Sisler sharing some words with the crowd and telling stories of their favorite times in McKale Center and with the team.
“One of the important words that Tabitha has us focus on is family,” Edwards said. “I really feel that from all of my teammates. We always have each others backs no matter what happens. The idea that someone goes down that we have their back all the way through.”
Yim has fully embraced her team and voiced how special each and every athlete is on this team.
“This is my family now,” Yim said. “I love every single part of it. From the girls to the team to the staff and the Tucson community, I’m just very grateful to be [here].”
Follow Matt Wall on Twitter.
