Gym Devils upset No. 10 Cal by less than a point

February 1, 2020

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE – The Arizona State gymnastics team pulled off its first top 10 win since 2014, stunning No. 10 California, 196.300 to 196.250, on Saturday afternoon.

“I would hope this is a huge confidence builder for us,” ASU coach Jay Santos said. “We had been struggling, and this is what we’ve been doing in practice. To see that preparation come together meant a lot. They’ve been working hard in the gym, and building that confidence in the last couple of weeks helped.”

ASU upsets #10 Cal

ASU had scored 194.3 points in a loss at No. 5 Utah last week and also fell to Oklahoma earlier in the season. It defeated UC Davis in another prior home meet.

Cal junior Kyana George produced a 39.475 all-around and posted highs for the day on both beam and floor at 9.875 points to lead the Golden Bears, while Nevaeh DeSouza led the uneven bars with a 9.9 and placed second in the all-around.

Freshman Gracie Reeves also recorded a 9.85 on bars and a 9.825 on both vault and beam for ASU.

“We just came out and did what we wanted to do,” Reeves said. “It’s awesome to get high scores. I knew I could get this, and I just went.”

With a 9.875, Hannah Scharf of ASU, another freshman, equaled George with the meet’s highest vault score. Most impressive, seeing as George is ranked fourth in the nation on the vault.

“The whole freshman group is talented, but once they start settling in, they’re going to be good,” Santos added.

The Sun Devils continue their season on Feb. 8 at Corvallis, Ore., meeting both the Oregon State Beavers and the LSU Tigers. ASU returns home at 3 p.m. on Feb. 15 to host UCLA, which will be the final time Olympic veterans Kyla Ross and Madison Kocian will compete in Tempe as collegians. Cal will host Utah on Feb. 8 for its next opponent.