Seattle was supposed to be the place where the Arizona women’s gymnastics team would pick up its first win in 2009.
The Gymcats went to the Pacific Northwest this weekend with high hopes of beating Washington, but left empty-handed after falling to the Huskies by a score of 195.150-194.600
In addition to the same hardships that plagued the Gymcats last week on bars, the ladies also had some trouble on the floor and vault. This week, Arizona only pulled out an event win on the beam.
“”It’s getting a little bit frustrating,”” said UA head coach Bill Ryden. “”We keep having to dig ourselves out of a hole from the start.””
Saturday’s meet seemed like the same story on a different day for the Gymcats. Things didn’t add up the way they would have liked, even though many individual athletes put up great numbers.
“”As a team, we had a lot of positive aspects in Washington that outweighed the negative,”” said freshman Talyn Curry. “”We had our highest score on beam and it’s great to feel that kind of success. Hopefully (in the next meet) on Friday, we will put it all together to come out with a victory.””
Britnie Jones had a remarkable turnaround from last week’s meet, and scored well on both bars and beam. The freshman scored a 9.850 on beam and a 9.800 on the bars, respectively, both scores being much closer to Ryden’s early-season predictions for her abilities.
“”Britnie had a great meet,”” said Ryden. “”She’s becoming a huge asset to the team.””
“”The nerves are finally gone,”” Jones said of her performance. “”It’s just good to finally do what everyone has talked about and expected of me.
“”I’m so over being a nervous freshman”” she joked.
Colleen Fisher would also go on to take the All-Around for the UA and break the 39-point barrier for the second time this season. Fisher scored a 39.075, to beat Hatsune
Akaogi’s score 38.575 for Washington.
“”Fisher had the best beam routine of her college career in my opinion,”” said Ryden.
Senior Alexis Greene followed closely behind in the All-Around, bringing in 38.075 points for Arizona.
Other notable performances by Gymcats were Sarah Tomczyk’s 9.850 on floor – which would tie her for first place on the event – as well as scores by Jones, Fisher, and Katie Matusik on beam. The ladies scored 9.850, 9.825, and 9.800 respectively.
“”Our beam team was just amazing tonight,”” Ryden said.
Senior Bree Workman would also tie for second place on the vault with a score of 9.825.
No matter how well the ladies continue to perform as individuals, the Gymcats will not see a win until the team as a whole can perform at the same level.
“”We’re going to need to change a few things, but not many,”” said assistant coach John Court. “”This is no time to point fingers at anyone. We need to compete against ourselves first, and worry about the opponents later.””
