The Sun Devils gymnastics team has yet to win a meet but is still ranked in the top 25.
No. 24 ASU will try to find its way into the win column tonight when it hosts injury-plagued Cal.
Senior Bridgette Glass — No. 13 on the balance beam — is the only Golden Bear ranked in an event.
The Sun Devils boast two ranked gymnasts: senior Nicole Harris and sophomore Beaté Jones.
Harris is a standout on beam where she ranks eighth in the country, while Jones has cracked the top 25 with a No. 24 ranking on the vault.
Jones and Harris have taken it upon themselves to be leaders on a team full of freshmen.
“Everyone is capable of pulling their stuff together when the time comes,” Harris said.
The young squad has had its ups and downs so far this season, but is making strides during practice.
“We’re trying to build up confidence, hit more numbers, and the kids’ bodies are staying fairly healthy right now,” coach John Spini said.
“I’m mainly focusing on Tiana Jean ... to make sure she’s being pushed the right way.”
Jean is the team captain and is putting up solid numbers, but the coach said he wants to see a little bit more out of her.
The team made improvements on the uneven bars last week, where they were having major issues earlier in the year.
Spini said junior Kaitlynn Bormann, who has had a couple falls, is hitting the parts she was missing in her bar routine.
“She needs some success right now. She’s having some success in practice, and it’s a big responsibility, but she’s got to understand that it’s a gymnastics skill that she can do very well,” the coach said.
The lineup will see changes this week in both vault and bars, but Spini said he is not yet sure of the rotation.
Reach the reporter at kmthomp7@asu.edu.
