Gym Devils head to Tucson for Duel in the Desert

February 18, 2009

This Week
Coming off their first win of the season against Cal, the Arizona State women's gymnastics team heads down to Tucson for their fifth Pac-10 matchup of the season against in-state rival Arizona. Head Coach John Spini is currently ASU's longest-tenured head coach, and is second on the all-time Sun Devil head coaching list. Former Sun Devil women's tennis coaching legend Anne Pittman holds the distinction as the longest-tenured ASU head coach at 31 seasons.

Hitting Harris
Nicole Harris has made a major impact on the team this season. The senior has hit nearly every event, only missing a floor routine in which she tweaked her shoulder in the middle of the routine. Harris currently has the team's highest all-around score and is tied for the highest beam and bars mark.

Jersey Girl
Beate Jones has vaulted and tumbled her way to success. The anchor on vault, she has scored her career-high of 9.9 on vault twice this season. Jones also hit on floor for a career-high 9.9 last week against Cal.

Tiana Time
Tiana Jean scored a new career-high on floor last weekend. The senior tied for first with teammate Jones, tallying a 9.9. Jean has also been solid on beam this season, earning a 9.9 earlier in the season. The Washington native also has two score of 9.85 on bars.

Fantastic Fran
Francesca Mercurio enters her sophomore season after a fabulous freshman one. Mercurio became the tenth Sun Devil to be named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week. Mercurio earned the honor by earning her first all-around win against Ohio State. Mercurio finished her freshman campaign with career-high marks of 39.250 in the all-around, 9.875 on vault, 9.825 on bars and beam, and 9.750 on floor. Mercurio competed in the all-around for the first time against Stanford. Mercurio competed in the all-around for the first time in two weeks against Cal.