Pac-12 gymnastics in the state of Arizona has seen better days.
The ASU gymnastics (2-6, 0-5 Pac-12) team is winless in conference to date following a home loss Sunday in Tempe, and its in-state rival down south, Arizona, hasn't faired much better. The Wildcats have suffered a similar fate thus far with just one Pac-12 victory on the year.
But the Sun Devils will get the chance to sweeten what has been a mostly bitter season on March 5 when they battle Arizona in the latest edition of the Territorial Cup in Tucson.
"For me I like rivalries, I think its great," ASU head coach Jay Santos said. "I am really excited that we have a school that we have a true rivalry with. It's exciting, fun, and its one of the things that makes sports a lot of fun."
ASU's struggles this season have stemmed from a young team with only two upperclassman and inconsistent execution, and a tough Pac-12 Conference filled with current U.S. Olympians hasn't made things an easier.
For the Wildcats, it's been a tale of too little, too late this season, falling just short in multiple competitive meets against a few Pac-12 powerhouses.
This will be a tough test for the Sun Devils, who sport many new faces going into the rivalry, including Santos.
He said he spoke with the team in its Monday meeting about what to expect and his thoughts on the rivalry for the upcoming meet against Arizona.
"I know they're all excited, and we told them to have fun with it, but keep it in perspective," Santos said. "We still need to prepare, focus on the details, focus on the things that will keep getting us better and not lose sight on the big picture just because it's U of A week."
An important factor that will play into the result of the meet for the Sun Devils will be based on how their freshman react to traveling to Tucson to face a notoriously raucous Wildcat crowd.
Freshman Ashley Szafranski said she was excited for the rivalry and the experience that comes with it.
Szafranski earns a 9.775 on beam for the #GymDevils. Christopherson to follow.
— ASU Gymnastics (@ASUGymnastics) February 26, 2017
: @Pac12Network pic.twitter.com/8JvHHLeQJn
"I obviously have never experienced it, but I am really excited, and everyone is really excited," Szafranski said. "We just want to improve from last week and from the previous meets."
Szafranski also explained that she was told by senior Beka Conrad to expect the fans to be "crazy."
In spite of the new faces and uncertainty of this youthful ASU team heading into rivalry week, Conrad is one Sun Devil that has plenty of experience with it comes to the rivalry with the Wildcats.
Conrad, who has been primarily a beam specialist in her four years at ASU, has made an appearance in every meet against Arizona in her collegiate career. She's performed particularly well on the beam with an average of 9.766 points against the Wildcats.
ASU is 1-10 against the Wildcats since 2007 and Conrad was apart of that 2014 team that triumphed over Arizona.
Conrad said that she enjoyed the rivalry week meets and will be bit a sad because it's her last meet against Arizona, but her approach will not be different than any other meet.
"For every single meet, I have a ritual where I do my skills and warm-up ... do imagery routine in my head and try to hit every single skill perfect, and that's what I picture," Conrad said.
"I also try and get myself mad. I always realize that I do better when I am mad at something, so I get myself in that mindset."
In a rivalry where anything can happen, here's how the Sun Devils match up with the Wildcats:
Reach the reporter at jaramo12@asu.edu or follow @hor_hay10 on Twitter.
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