The ASU gymnastics team will be returning home earlier than planned after coming in fourth Thursday in Session 1 of the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
As much as they prepared mentally, the Sun Devils did not seem to have it when it mattered and head coach John Spini said he was let down with the results.
"I'm disappointed in our performance today," Spini said yesterday after the meet. "I'm proud of my team. We had a tremendous year and we accomplished a lot."
What really hurt the Sun Devils were a pair of falls from the beam that the Sun Devils were forced to count. Senior Cassidy Vreeke and sophomore Kari Muth both fell in the first two spots. Senior Ashley Ellsberry led the Sun Devils with a 9.875 in the event, but Spini felt the Sun Devils could not shake off the falls.
"We didn't have much to build on," Spini said. "They just went flat; they could not get their momentum back and they were playing it safe."
Spini said Muth's fall was due to inexperience but was surprised when Vreeke fell.
"It hurt not going to Nationals last year for the younger girls," Spini said. "It was Kari's first championship. It put more pressure on Cass but I thought she could have handled it."
On the floor exercise, junior Maggie Germiane finished first for ASU with a 9.85, tied for eighth place overall. Ellsberry came in tied for twelfth with a 9.825.
The Sun Devils took another low score at the vault. This was unexpected for the Sun Devils because they had been doing so well in the regular season.
On the event, junior Carla DeMartini finished first for ASU with a 9.75, tied for 16th place. Ellsberry and freshman Ashley Kelly tied for 20th with 9.725s. Spini again felt it was the team's guarded attitude on why they did not do as well as planned.
"They stuck only two out of six landings," Spini said. "They couldn't get up and away from the table. They were very cautious."
The season is over for the Sun Devils, but Spini is expecting to continue this type success next season and thinks the Sun Devils will still finish with a decent national ranking.
"We're young and we will be back with most of this team next year," Spini said.
Today, the top three teams from Sessions 1 and 2 will compete for the national title in the Super Six. UCLA, Alabama and Michigan will represent Session 1. From the second session, Nebraska, Utah and Georgia will compete for the title.
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Reach the reporter at kelley.karnes@asu.edu.
