By
Adrienne Mackey
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Beating the Huskies at home will be a challenge
The Arizona gymnastics team (4-11 overall, 1-4 Pacific 10 Conference) will travel to Seattle this weekend, where they will meet some stiff competition in the Washington Huskies (7-5, 2-4).The meet begins Sunday at 2 p.m.
Arizona head coach Bill Ryden said he knows what the Wildcats are up against, having just faced off against the Huskies in the UCLA Invitational, where the Cats finished two spots below UW.
The Cats came into this season ranked No. 20 and have since fallen from the top 25 due to mistakes made at crucial times in meets.
The GymCats have been putting up top scores on individual events, like the balance beam or the floor, but have not quite come together as a team, according to Ryden.
"Beating the Huskies at home will be a challenge, but our big goal this week is not to beat ourselves," he said.
The Cats almost clinched the No. 2 spot in last week's meet, but multiple falls from the balance beam proved devastating, and the Cats finished last in the four-team meet.
There were high points in Sunday's L.A. meet. Seven UA Gymnasts - Nikki Beyschau, Nicci Filchner, Kara Fry, Megan Killpack, Andi McCabe, Cori Messina and Heather Straccia - set or tied season-high and career-high marks during the meet.
Arizona knows what they are up against when they travel to Seattle.
"We are starting to gel as a team, and everyone has learned what their roles are on the team," Ryden said.
