Central Michigan University Athletics
Gymnastics Defeats No. 23 Arizona State
3/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
TEMPE, Ariz. — Andrea de la Garza and Katie Simon tied for the all-around title as the Central Michigan gymnastics team defeated its second ranked opponent this season with a 195.575-194.825 victory over No. 23 Arizona State on Friday.
De la Garza scored 9.800 or higher in all four events and Simon tallied a season-high 9.875 on beam as both finished with an all-around score of 39.275.
“Andrea has been a very focused and determined athlete,” head coach Jerry Reighard said. “She is hungry and is battling some significant leg injuries. We’ve had to keep her under control as far as how many reps we give her in practice. We used her in the all-around for this meet and it turned out to be a very good decision.”
The performance marks the second straight week that the Chippewas (10-2, 3-1 Mid-American) have eclipsed 195 points.
“I am very pleased with our performance tonight,” Reighard said. “I talked with them about dispelling the mystique of going to a Pac-10 school. Tonight was a big sign that this team is on its way to doing some special things.”
Central began the night on bars where it posted a score of 48.525. Arizona State started on vault and took an early lead with a 48.975 on the apparatus. De la Garza was the top Chippewa performer with a career-best 9.850 to finish tied for second. Simon scored a 9.750 claim fifth while Britney Taylor’s 9.700 tied for seventh.
The Maroon and Gold cut into the Sun Devil’s lead in the second rotation with a 49.100 on vault, the second consecutive week they have hit that score on the event, while ASU scored 48.975 on bars. Simon and Kristin Teubner each finished runner-up with identical 9.850 scores. Taylor, de la Garza and Darrian Tissenbaum finished tied for sixth with a 9.800.
The Chippewas took their first lead in the third rotation with a season-best 49.075 on floor exercise. The Sun Devils struggled with falls on balance beam and finished with only 47.625. Cheryl Conlin and Teubner finished tied for third with a 9.850. Simon and de la Garza each scored 9.800 to finish in a seventh-place tie and Emily LaFontaine finished tied for ninth with a 9.775.
CMU concluded the evening with a solid 48.875 on beam, enough to hold off ASU’s 49.250 score on floor. Simon won the event with her season-high score and Teubner finished tied for second with a 9.850. De la Garza took fourth with a 9.825.
“Arizona State was waiting for us to open the door on beam and we never did,” Reighard said. “We kept our composure and put together some gritty performances on beam. Cheryl, Britney and Jessica Suder’s routines weren’t the prettiest, but they did not give up and they really fought to make sure they did not fall off. That’s two weeks in a row that we’ve gotten those kinds of performances on beam and it makes me feel very good about that lineup going forward.”
The win tonight gives the Chippewas two wins over top-25 programs this season, their other came against No. 21 Michigan State at the State of Michigan Classic.
Central competes in its final dual at Rose Center on March 13 when it welcomes Ball State for senior night.
