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CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat
Senior captain Nikki Beyschau will compete in McKale Center for the last time tonight against No. 14 Oklahoma.
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By James Kelley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday March 14, 2003
Senior team captain Nikki Beyschau has at times been lost in the talk about the youth of the Arizona gymnastics team, but tonight it's all about her.
Beyschau will bid farewell to the McKale Center when the No. 18 Gymcats host No. 14 Oklahoma (9-6) tonight at 7:30.
Beyschau, who last week was fifth on the bars with 9.825, will be honored in her last home meet. The Glendale native said she is more excited than sad about her last home meet.
"It is going to be exciting," Beyschau said. "Maybe a little sad, but more exciting."
Though Arizona as a team has lost four dual meets in a row, in its last meet, it tallied its high road score of the season, 196.800, at Cal. And in the last home meet against Stanford, the Gymcats had their highest score of the year, 196.850.
After some inconsistencies last week, UA's goal is to finally get over the hump and get a 24 for 24 performance, said head coach Bill Ryden.
"Our goal is to live up to what Arizona gymnastics is about," Ryden said. "We were somewhat inconsistent last week."
Though the return of junior Andi McCabe and sophomore Jamie Schell helped the team, Ryden said the squad is still not completely healthy.
"We're not much different," Ryden said. "We don't expect them to do much more than last week. We hope to add an event for them next week or for the Pac-10 championships (in about two weeks)."
The Gymcats will look to build momentum heading into the postseason; they have an away meet before the Pac-10 championships as they continue to get healthier.
"We've yet to put out our number one line up out," Ryden said.