University of Washington
NCAA Regional Final
GymDawgs Team Set for Regional Final for First Time Since 2018
March 31, 2023 | Gymnastics
LOS ANGELES – Washington gymnastics advanced to the NCAA Regional Final after upsetting two higher ranked teams Thursday afternoon in the regional second round.
This is the first time the GymDawgs have earned a spot at the Regional Final since qualifying for Nationals in back-to-back seasons (2017 and 2018).
The GymDawgs earned a 196.775, their second highest score of the season, to move on to the final where they will face No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, and No. 13 Missouri.
In the second round, Washington edged out No. 12 Auburn (195.900) and Southern Utah (196.600) to secure a spot in the regional final where three of four teams are Pac-12 squads.
The meet will begin at 5 p.m. PT and will be streamed on ESPN+.
This is only the second time in conference history that all Pac-12 gymnastics programs qualified for regional play (last season was the first).
We reigned purple in Pauley yesterday ????
— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) March 31, 2023
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•#GoHuskies x #Unleashed pic.twitter.com/jgW27fSjcb
HOW WE GOT HERE
The GymDawgs all stepped up on an afternoon without all-around competitor Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, to push the team to the furthest Washington has competed in the postseason in five years.
Kennedi Davis led the way on beam for Washington, tying her career-high 9.950 and helping her team to an event-high 49.325.
Amongst other top performances were Lilly Tubbs on bars (9.900), who earned her second 9.9+ of the season (career-high 9.950 at P&G Classic) and Amara Cunningham, who notched a 9.900 on the floor.
Cunningham has been consistent all season, earning a 9.9 or better on nine of her 13 floor routines this year. Cunningham finished the season ranked ninth in the Pac-12 on floor as she earned her career-high earlier this season with a 9.975.
WE'RE MOVING ON TO THE REGIONAL FINAL!
— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) March 30, 2023
UW 196.775
Utah 198.125
Southern Utah 196.600
Auburn 195.900#GoHuskies x #Unleashed pic.twitter.com/IiaxXEzeGk
THE COMPETITION
No. 4 UCLA and No. 13 Missouri advanced to the final after competing in the second session of the second round Thursday evening, beating out Stanford and Boise State.
UCLA recorded its highest NCAA postseason score and tied its season-high (198.275) to join Washington and Utah as the third Pac-12 team to advance to the regional final.
Missouri earned their second-highest regional score in program history (197.400) to finish second in the second round and earn a spot in Saturday's final.
To view the full 2023 schedule, click here.
QUOTES
Head Coach Jen Llewellyn
On last night's second round performance
"Just super proud of our team and how they competed. We had a little adversity in our lineups and completely had them switched around, so really proud of them just trusting in their gymnastics and getting the job done. March Madness, baby."
On if she knew what score she needed for Washington to advance
"I knew that more than likely it was going to be close, but I had no idea what I needed. I pretty much just went up there and treated it like it was going to be my last floor routine. I was like 'last one, best one'. Whatever I had in me, it's going to be laid out on the floor, and I was going to be proud of us and our team regardless of if I got the score I needed or didn't."
On the Pac-12 Conference camaraderie
"Honestly, this conference is amazing. I've enjoyed it the past five years. These past five years there have been really great teams in the Pac-12 that root for us "underdogs" as we like to call ourselves to keep our chins up and heads down a little bit. But everyone is super nice and welcoming. They love to see the Pac-12 succeed, genuinely. I don't think it's a fake thing. They were amazing and that moment, haven't done that in five years, ever, so it was a really awesome moment for everybody."
On her favorite moment of the meet
"My favorite moment was definitely when I saw that score turn. I was kind of in the background and just seeing everyone's faces — the freshmen, sophomores, everybody was just like 'I can't believe we did that.' We knew we could do it, but we actually did it when it counted, so it was just an incredible moment. I love seeing my friends succeed."
On the Pac-12 Conference camaraderie
"I think the Pac-12 as a whole is a kind of underdog conference, especially in comparison to the SEC. So I think people come into this meet expecting the SEC team to make it out. But like I said earlier, you have no idea what's going to happen. And it's really great to have such a strong team like Utah to have our backs and cheer us on."
On her highlight for the day
"Honestly, just seeing that score switch and seeing that we made it. Like Brenna said, we've been here for five years and not once have we made it past day one. So it's really just an incredible moment to know that we made it to the Sweet Sixteen, and we did everything we needed to. And, just being together as a team and seeing that score switch, jumping up and down and having people crying was really an incredible moment."
For more information on the UW gymnastics team, follow @uwgymnastics on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Players Mentioned
