When compared to last year, the Gym Devils are the most improved team in the nation, according to the NCAA.
No. 22 ASU (4-4, 2-3 Pac-12) is looking for a big road score to boost its Regional Qualifying Score and improve even more.
The Gym Devils continue their road campaign Friday night when they travel to Seattle for a dual meet against the No. 25 Washington Huskies.
This is one of three upcoming opportunities for the Sun Devils to improve their RQS by scoring well at road meets.
A high road score would do wonders for them.
“It’s important as far as climbing the rankings,” assistant coach Tom Ward said. “As for this Friday night, we need to win because it’s a statement meet for us and what our program is. We need to beat Washington on the road, and I think the girls are going to do it in a true Sun Devil way.”
ASU knows the improvements it needs to make. Throughout the season, the team’s vault event has lacked depth.
“We’ve been trying to watch their bodies to avoid injury,” coach John Spini said. “We’re trying to get (Brianna Gades) into it, but we had to get Bri into floor because once we lost Amanda (Davies), we needed a floor worker. We’re working kids and trying to build up their confidence.”
ASU is now ranked in the top 25 in three events.
ASU’s uneven bars are ranked No. 23 in the nation, balance beam is ranked No. 16 and floor exercise is ranked No. 22.
Now with the RQS ranking the nation’s teams, ASU has the largest increase of scores from last season.
Senior Beaté Jones has some sense of why that is.
“It shows that at practice, we do what we have to do,” Jones said. “At a meet, we compete like it’s practice. At our competitions before … we didn’t have that much confidence in ourselves.
“We had that little bit of possible failure, and it happened. Now we have so much confidence, that’s not in our head. The only thing we know about doing is doing our job.”
Washington freshman McKenzie Fechter posted a 39.375 for the Huskies last weekend at UA.
Reach the reporter at gdemano@asu.edu
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