Beavers Fall to Arizona State, 196.225-195.850
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Oregon State women's gymnastics team saw improvement on all four events, including 14 personal records, but Arizona State took home the 196.225-195.850 victory, Friday afternoon.
The Beavers found their way to the top score on two events - vault and floor - with the team beam score being decided by 0.025 of a point. For the first time this season, OSU saw three team scores above 49 points with the beam team earning a 49.025.
In addition to the team success, Oregon State saw the individual title on three events - vault, beam, and bars. For the third time in as many meets Madi Dagen fought for the vault title and Kaitlyn Yanish flew for the floor title. Dagen and Sydney Gonzales shared the beam top score for the second week in a row.
Starting on bars, the Beavers earned its best team score of the season with 48.500 points. Arizona State took the top-three scores but OSU earned four personal records with six routines. Dagen was the first to compete and, as a solid lead-off, her routine encouraged the rest of the bars team. Niya Mack notched the best Oregon State score with a 9.750 personal record. Both Jane Poniewaz and Kayla Bird followed closely with 9.725 points.
The Beavers then headed to the vault for its first strong rotation. Poniewaz opened the event with a strong 9.775. Kristina Peterson followed suit, matching a personal best, with a second 9.775. Dagen closed out the vault with a 9.95 flip for the individual title.
Behind by less than half a point at the halfway mark, OSU headed to the floor. Niya Mack led off with a strong 9.750. Peterson and Savanna Force competed with dominating routines for a 9.825 while Kayla Bird matched a personal record with a 9.875 and the runner-up position. Only Yanish's 9.900 beat Bird's floor routine for the individual title.
After having closed the gap to a 0.325 difference, the Beavers were off to the beam to close the meet. Five out of six routines on the balance beam notched personal records to earn the team's best beam score yet. Lexie Gonzales opened the event with a beautiful 9.725 routine, besting her previous top score by almost half a point. S. Gonzales and Dagen closed out the meet sharing the event title to close the meet.
Oregon State continues to show improvement each week, especially on the balance beam and the uneven bars. The coaches are "happy with the progress the team is making each week," head coach Tanya Chaplin said. "Every week has brought a new challenge that they have had to overcome. Their determination and grit continues to shine through at each meet."
As a team, the Beavers earned 14 personal records and finished one first-time routine. Both Dagen (9.950) and Peterson (9.775) matched their career bests on the vault while Bird (9.875 - floor) matched her personal best and S. Gonzales competed on the floor. The uneven bars saw four personal records in Dagen (9.525), Mack (9.750), Poniewaz (9.725), and Ariana Young (9.6). The balance beam had the most personal records of all the events with five: Bird (9.675), L. Gonzales (9.725), S. Gonzales (9.900), Poniewaz (9.825), and Young (9.625).
OSU will continue to look for its first road win as the Beavers will head to Seattle for a rematch against Washington on Monday, Feb. 8.
Team Scores:
Arizona State 196.225; Oregon State 195.850
Vault: 49.150 (OSU); 48.800 (ASU)
Bars: 49.300 (ASU); 48.500 (OSU)
Beam: 49.050 (ASU); 49.025 (OSU)
Floor: 49.175 (OSU); 49.075 (ASU)
Individual Scores:
All-Around: 1. Hannah Scharf (ASU) 39.375; 2. Kayla Bird (OSU) 39.025; 3. Gracie Reeves (ASU) 38.650.
Vault: 1. Madi Dagen (OSU) 9.950; 2. Anaya Smith (ASU) 9.875; 3. Cairo Leonard-Baker (ASU) 9.850. Other OSU Scores: Kaitlyn Yanish 9.825, Sydney Gonzales 9.825, Jane Poniewaz 9.775, Kristina Peterson 9.775, Kayla Bird 9.750.
Bars: 1. Sarah Clark (ASU) 9.900; T2. Hannah Scharf (ASU), Cairo Leonard-Baker (ASU) 9.875. Other OSU Scores: Niya Mack 9.750, Jane Poniewaz 9.725, Kayla Bird 9.725, Kaitlyn Hoiland 9.700, Ariana Young 9.600, Madi Dagen 9.575.
Beam: T1. Sydney Gonzales (OSU), Madi Dagen (OSU) 9.900; 3. Hannah Scharf (ASU) 9.850. Other OSU Scores: Jane Poniewaz 9.825, Lexie Gonzales 9.725, Kayla Bird 9.675, Ariana Young 9.625 (Exhibition - Kristina Peterson 9.625).
Floor: 1. Kaitlyn Yanish (OSU) 9.900; 2. Kayla Bird (OSU) 9.875; 3. Hannah Scharf (ASU) 9.850. Other OSU Scores: Savanna Force 9.825, Kristina Peterson 9.825, Niya Mack 9.750, Sydney Gonzales 8.850 (Exhibition - Julia Melchert 9.650).
For more information on the Oregon State gymnastics team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverGym, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverGym or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverGym.