GymDawgs Continue Pac-12 Competition At Arizona
February 25, 2016 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE – After posting season-high scores in consecutive meets, No. 27 UW gymnastics will head to Tucson, Ariz., to take on the No. 25 Arizona Wildcats in search of the GymDawgs third straight strong performance.
“At this point, we are all about consistency and improvement,” UW head coach Joanne Bowers said. “We couldn't be more pleased with the last two meets, but the next step for us is to continue to get the job done and put together another great meet.”
The GymDawgs posted event scores above 49.000 on all four events for the first time this season against UCLA to score a new season-high 196.450 following a 196.250 at Utah. That consistency had eluded the GymDawgs in 2016, but Bowers is hopeful that her team can continue to perform at a high level.
“We really just need everyone to do their jobs, and we've been doing that,” Bowers said. “One of our areas of emphasis is our landings – that was a strong point against UCLA, but we think we can be even better and improve our scores. These gymnasts have put in the hard work day after day and we hope we keep reaping the rewards.”
Meet Information
UW at Arizona – McKale Memorial Center
Saturday, Feb. 27, 3 p.m. PT
Live Stream · Follow on Twitter
Scouting the Wildcats
Arizona is coming off a win over Arizona St. The Wildcats scored a 196.375, their second-best score of the season. Arizona's season-high came in a loss against UCLA when the Wildcats posted a 196.475 in their third meet of the season. Arizona is ranked No. 25 with a 195.442 average. The Wildcats are ranked No. 28 on vault, No. 19 on bars, No. 31 on beam and No. 27 on floor.
UW Event Previews – Overall Ranking: No. 27, Average: 195.118, High: 196.450
Vault, No. 24, 48.796 avg. – Senior Allison Northey leads the GymDawgs with six top-3 finishes this season and a 9.807 average. Junior Alex Yacalis averages a 9.796 and has two top-3 finishes. Joslyn Goings, Hailey Burleson and Emily Liddle have been strong performers in the last few meets, each posting a 9.8 against UCLA.
Bars, No. 38, 48.621 avg. – Junior Kaitlyn Duranczyk is ranked No. 47 and has two bars titles this season and four top-3 finishes to lead the GymDawgs. Northey has one title and four top-3 finishes, while Burleson, Goings and Schaefer have all also finished in the top-3 at least once.
Beam, No. 21, 48.771 avg. – The GymDawgs have a deep beam lineup, led by Northey's three titles and five top-3 finishes. She is ranked No. 24 in the country. Goings is ranked No. 39 and has one title and four top-3 finishes, including a personal-best 9.9 against UCLA. Freshman Malory Rose also posted a personal-best 9.85 against UCLA and has scored over a 9.75 in seven of eight meets this season.
Floor, No. 24, 48.929 avg. – Northey has two floor titles and six top-3 finishes to lead the GymDawgs. Yacalis has been a big contributor as of late, including four straight meets at 9.8 or above and a personal-best 9.9 against UCLA. In four floor appearances in her collegiate career, Goings has scored a 9.8 or high three times including a 9.875 against UCLA.
All-Around – Northey has competed in the all-around in each of the GymDawgs' meets this season and has two titles. She posted a personal-best 39.550 at Utah. Goings has competed in the all-around in the last two meets, winning the title twice, including against UCLA with a personal-best 39.375.
Last Time Out
The GymDawgs finished with a season-high 196.450 in a loss at home to UCLA. UW posted scores over 49.000 in all four events for the first time this season. Goings set a new personal-best in the all-around with a 39.375.
Next Up
The GymDawgs will host Western Michigan on Saturday, March 5, at 6 p.m. PT. The meet will be streamed live. Fans can also follow the action on Twitter.
Notes:
- The GymDawgs have just one senior on the 2016 squad, two-time All-Pac-12 First Team all-arounder Allison Northey. Fellow senior Sheridan Metcalf is serving as a student coach for the GymDawgs this season.
- UW's freshman class consists of three gymnasts: Malory Rose (Orlando, Fla.), Kristyn Hoffa (San Marcos, Calif.) and Monica Riley (Irving, Texas).
- UW head coach Joanne Bowers is in her 10th season with the Huskies.
- The Huskies added assistant coach Stephen Buckner, who was previously serving as the strength and conditioning coach at the University of Alabama. He helped the Crimson Tide to back-to-back national championships in 2011 and 2012 when he was on the staff. Former assistant coach Elise Ray was promoted to associate head coach. The addition of Buckner and promotion of Ray followed the departure of former UW associate head coach David McCreary, who is now an assistant at the University of Arizona.
- The Huskies took seventh place at the 2015 Pac-12 Championships with a 196.000, their highest score at the conference championships in the last four years. UW gymnastics team-high in 2015 was 196.600, recorded at UC Davis.
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