Arizona gymnastics saw its postseason venture come up short on Saturday in the Columbus Regional after finishing in fourth place.
The GymCats tallied a score of 195.800, finishing behind UCLA (197.500), Michigan (197.000) and Central Michigan (195.925).
The Wildcats finished in front of Kentucky and Ohio State, but the Bruins and Wolverines will advance to the next round, qualifying for the NCAA Championships by finishing in first and second place.
“We fought really hard,” Arizona coach Bill Ryden said in a press release. “Beam is one of our highest scoring events, and scoring was tight on there tonight, but that just shows it’s the postseason. We were 23 for 24 routines, and I am proud of how they fought tonight and the entire season.”
Arizona began the meet on beam and finished with a total team score of 48.825. Junior Lexi Mills led the way for the Wildcats with a 9.800, and freshman Madison Cindric followed with a 9.775. Shelby Edwards, Krysten Howard and Jessie Sisler added 9.750 scores.
Sisler headlined the next event on floor for the Wildcats with a 9.875. Mills added a 9.850, and freshman Kennady Schneider scored a 9.825. The GymCats tallied a total floor score of 49.075.
“Landing definitely determined the scores tonight,” Ryden said in a press release. “And unfortunately, we had some extra steps in a few of our landings. We nickeled-and-dimed ourselves on floor, but we were still able to come out with a 49 on the event.”
The GymCats tallied 48.875 on vault, a share lower than their seasonal average of 48.925. Edwards and Cindric led the way with scores of 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. Senior Amber Wobma competed in the event with a 9.550 after being injured for most of the season.
The Wildcats had a bye for the fifth rotation and finished the meet on the uneven bars, totaling a team score of 49.025. The event also consisted of their only fall in the entire meet by Gabby Laub. Freshman Victoria Ortiz led the way with a 9.825 and four of her teammates added scores of 9.800.
“Our one fall tonight happened on bars,” Ryden said in a press release. “And then it was up to two freshmen, and they did their job. We had five girls that went 9.800 or better, so they finished strong for us.”
Many of the GymCats took to social media to praise the team and how far they have come.
“I’m going to miss this specific team so much,” Mills said on Twitter. “I’ve never loved one team so much.”
Ryden could not agree more.
“I can’t say it enough: I’m just so proud of this team,” Ryden said in a press release. “They refused to give up, and they fought the entire season. They’ve earned everyone’s respect, and it’s been such a great year coaching them because of their attitude of never giving up. They’re a great group, and we’re so proud as coaches.”
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