The ASU gymnastics team's season is over but two of their gymnasts, junior Taylor Allex and senior Natasha Sundby, will be traveling to Norman, Oklahoma, this weekend to compete in NCAA Regionals.
Allex will be competing in the all-around and Sundby will be a floor exercise specialist, as well as an alternate on vault.
It was announced the pair would be invited to compete in Regionals back on March 23, and it was an especially exciting moment for Allex who will be attending Regionals for the first time as an individual.
"I got a text from (assistant coaches) Ralph (Rosso) and Jeff (Hunt) asking if I'd ever been to Oklahoma," Allex said with a chuckle. "I kind of assumed that meant I was going."
Allex has been competing all-around since Feb. 6 and has been a force since being given the opportunity.
She scored at least a 39.000 four out of the six times she competed in the all-around and had the highest score of the Gym Devils' three all-arounders five times.
Even before the Pac-12 Championships a few weeks ago, Allex said she had spoken with her coaches and had confidence that she had a shot to compete in Regionals.
"Before Pac-12s we thought I would be going," Allex said. "We all talked, and we thought I was in a good place to make the top five."
That didn't make her any less excited when she was selected.
"I was very excited," Allex said. "It's such a good opportunity, especially since the team can't go so having some people from ASU, like Tasha and I both, it's great."
Sundby, who tied a career-high 9.900 on the floor event twice this season, said she was equally as excited when she found out she would be attending the competition.
"Floor has always been my favorite event so to be able to qualify individually on floor was really cool and a big honor," Sundby said.
Sundby will be competing in Regionals for a fourth consecutive year. In each of the past three seasons, she has competed on both vault and floor but this year she will be focusing on floor.
That's made practicing these past two weeks a little unique.
"It's been different because I've been focusing on floor alone," Sundby said. "We picked apart my routine and focused on the little things that I need to clean up better."
Sundby's career-high on the floor exercise in Regional competition was a 9.875 she set her sophomore season.
She, like Allex, has been working on getting back into the swing of things to prepare mentally and physically for Regionals after having a few weeks off.
Allex said her focus has been on working hard on her routines.
"There were more numbers involved these past two weeks with routines," Allex said. "There have been two weeks between the Pac-12 (Championships) and Regionals so getting more numbers in has helped me feel more confident since it's such a big meet. You want to prepare and we did a lot of drill work, went back to the basics and we did a bunch of routines."
Allex said she was feeling slightly fatigued from competing nearly every week since January, but said that she is confident she and Sundby will overcome it.
"I'm tired and sore at the end of a long season, but that's how a lot of the girls get," Allex said. "It's a long season, and it's hard on our bodies, but I'm tough, and Tasha is tough, so I know we're going to do well."
Sundby is just looking to enjoy the moment.
"It's different because this time I'm going as an individual," Sundby said, "But it doesn't make it any more nerve-wracking or anything like that. It's just about going out and having fun and do my best. It is my senior year, so if this is how I go out, then I want to have a good time."
The two will compete on April 4.
Reach the reporter at mtquesad@asu.edu or follow @mitchTquesada on Twitter.
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