The ASU gymnastics team had a great night Monday on vault and set three new season-high team scores, despite their loss to Arizona 196.375-193.975.
The Gym Devils started out the night strong in their first rotation on vault, posting a season-high score of 48.825.
Freshman Corinne Belkoff and seniors Carissa Kraus and Allie Salas all set individual season-highs in the event, while senior Taylor Allex matched her career-high with a 9.900 and placed first overall.
The team then set another season-high on beam with a score of 48.650. Freshman Katelyn Lentz and junior Beka Conrad both matched their career-highs with scores of 9.825.
On floor, the team combined to score a 49.250, their third season-high of the night.
Salas scored a career-high, while Belkoff matched her career-high. Both placed second in a five-way tie in the event with a score of 9.875. Allex placed first overall for the third time this season with a score of 9.925.
Head coach René Lyst said the team has been working hard in floor and vault and is impressed the team was able to bring that hard work to the meet.
“They’ve been doing a great job, we’ve been building momentum on those events and it’s nice to see them do them in competition the way they’ve been training them,” Lyst said.
Freshman Justine Callis debuted two new events for the Gym Devils, floor and bars. She scored a 9.725 and a 9.700 respectively, and still competed on beam where she scored a 9.575.
Callis helped the team out after an unspecified event put freshman Eileen Imbus out for the season, Lyst said.
“She did a great job, she really stepped up and we’ll hope to see her continue to do the same,” Lyst said.
Callis said she was excited to have the opportunity to participate in the two new events.
“Tonight was a great night," she said. "I had a really great feeling about this night from walking in the doors, so I’m really happy with how it went.”
In the all-around, Salas placed first with a score of 39.100, another career-high for her on the evening, while Lentz placed second. Arizona did not have anyone compete in all four total events for them.
Freshman Heather Udowitch debuted in the all-around for the Gym Devils, competing on vault for the first time this season as well.
“I was really excited to do all-around, it’s definitely been one of my goals to do double A so I was really excited to kind of show off and do all four,” Udowitch said.
Udowitch scored a 9.500 in her first outing on vault, but struggled again on bars, recording a fall and scoring a 8.450.
“Overall, it was a challenge," she said. "I struggled on bars, so I’m definitely going to use that as motivation to get in the gym and work harder for UCLA, but I’m really happy about beam, floor and vault."
Lyst said despite the struggle in her bar routine, she thought Udowitch performed well in her first all-around.
“We have to build her some confidence there (on bars), but she was able to let that go and go hit two more events really well and that’s a sign of maturity and I’m happy to see that,” Lyst said.
Belkoff didn’t have her best night on bars either, recording two falls and scoring a 8.225.
“We’ll go back in the gym again and work hard, and build their confidence before we go to UCLA this weekend,” Lyst said.
Reach the reporter at haley.stesiak@asu.edu or follow @haley_stesiak on Twitter.
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