It's the last chance for the ASU gymnastics team to show everyone what it has been working for as it competes in the NCAA gymnastics championships today.
The preliminaries of the national competition start today in Lincoln, Neb. and continue tomorrow with the Super Six finals. Competition ends on Saturday with the individual event finals.
ASU coach John Spini said he is ready for his team to compete and feels that everything else is behind them.
"I think the hard meet was regionals," said Spini who also said the competition would be stiff. "We are in a very hard session. We have to do a superb job on Thursday and I think we have a good chance at coming in the top three."
ASU will be competing in the first session with UCLA, Iowa, Alabama, Michigan and Louisiana State University.
In the second session, Stanford, Utah, Nebraska, Auburn, Georgia and Florida will face off for the right to appear in the Super Six. The top three teams from each session will continue to Friday's competition.
Junior Maggie Germaine said she is very upbeat about the event.
"I feel absolutely wonderful," Germaine said. "We did a lot of mental and team building stuff. Not so much physical this week. It's all mental now."
Germaine said she is also feeling the pressure of the competition.
"It's going to be a tough call," Germaine said. "UCLA will be the toughest and Nebraska is No. 2 and they are at home. It all comes down on who hits."
Freshman Ashley Kelly said she was excited about her first national competition as a Sun Devil and said she has a no-holds-barred attitude about it.
"There is gonna be lots of good competition," Kelly said. "We are ready to compete and tired of practicing."
Senior and team co-captain Ashley Ellsberry said she feels that the team is ready to go and that it should be exciting for some of the athletes who will be taking their first trip to a national championship.
"For half of us, it will be our first time," Ellsberry said. "We are really positive and we want to kick some butt. We think we have a chance for Super Six. There is no reason not to make it."
Ellsberry also explained that there would be many emotions felt at this meet, especially because it will be her last meet.
"Nerves will come, but that's normal," Ellsberry said. "It's sad. I have been in gymnastics for 17 years. It's always been apart of my life."
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Reach the reporter at kelley.karnes@asu.edu.
