PROVO, Utah – No. 10 BYU gymnastics prepares to battle No. 11 Arizona State University of the Pac-12 in Tempe, Arizona, this Saturday, Jan. 16, at 4 p.m. MST in the Wells Fargo Arena.
This will be the third time the teams face each other in head coach Guard Young’s time as coach.
In February 2019, University of California, Berkeley and ASU joined the Cougars for a tri-meet in California. Placing third, BYU earned a 194.975, just behind ASU’s 195.700.
In March 2019, just a month later, the teams faced in another tri-meet. BYU, ASU and West Virginia University competed in Tempe, Arizona, where the Cougars fell to the Devils again, 196.550-195.825.
Looking at the progress of the team since then, Young is excited for the opportunity to face off yet again.
“ASU is a very strong Pac-12 opponent,” Young said. “I’m very happy with the start of the season and I’m looking for our team to build upon what they learned last week. I loved the energy the team brought to the floor rotation. With arenas not having a lot of fans, we’re going to have to work to bring that kind of energy to every single event.”
Meet Information
- When: Saturday, Jan. 16
- Time: 4 p.m. MST
- Location: Wells Fargo Arena
- Live Stream: Pac-12 Streaming
- Stats: Stat Broadcast
THE COUGARS. BYU made its season debut at the Rio Tinto Best of Utah NCAA Gymnastics Meet on Saturday, Jan. 9, earning second place (195.700) amongst No. 3 University of Utah, Utah State University and Southern Utah University. This brought the Cougars from No. 17 up to No. 10. Senior Abbey Miner-Alder competed in the all-around competition, earning a 39.275 and the MRGC’s Gymnast of the Week, Vault Specialist of the Week and Floor Specialist of the Week.
THE SUN DEVILS. In the WCGA preseason ranking, ASU earned a No. 21 ranking. This is also the team’s finishing ranking after the shortened 2020 season. The Sun Devils faced Pac-12 rival No. 2 Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 10 in their season opener, falling 197.450-194.725 but moving up to No. 11 in the rankings. Among the 11 returners for the 2021 season, one to watch is three-time All-American senior Cairo Leonard-Baker. She is known for her work on the uneven bars, ranking No. 19 in the nation last season.