Monica Bisordi Sophomore Gymcat

Despite posting its second-highest NCAA regionals score ever, the UA gymnastics team finished fourth in its "incredibly tough" region, failing to advance to the NCAA "Super Six" championships.

Highlighted by the performance of sophomore Monica Bisordi, the No. 19 Gymcats (7-19, 1-5) finished fourth at regionals with a 195.450, .425 points out of second place and a berth to what would have been its second straight NCAA Championships to be held Saturday in Columbia, Mo. The score was UA's highest regional score next to its 1996 total.

Head coach Bill Ryden was happy with UA's finish, considering Arizona's injury woes and tough competition.

"The meet went really well, actually," Ryden said. "I'm really proud of the team. It was great effort and we only missed one routine."

The Gymcats finished fifth on the vault with 48.500, second on the bars with 49.250, scored 48.700 for fourth on the beam and finished fifth on the floor with 49.000.

While the team's season is over, Bisordi, who tied for third on the vault with a 9.900 and finished fifth in the all-around tallying a 39.300, will advance on to the championships in Nebraska next Thursday. Additionally, sophomore Jamie Duce tied for sixth on the bars with a 9.875 and on the vault, junior Andi McCabe, while battling severe ankle trauma, scored 9.750 to tie for 11th.

After her career closed, Ryden saw senior Nikki Beyschau "tear up" for the first time. Beyschau, whose events were reduced to just the vault last year after competing in the all-around because of her many injuries, just returned to floor exercises.

"I think it really closed on a high note," Ryden said. "She came back to compete on the floor. The girl's the very definition of toughness."

No. 1 UCLA, for whom junior Jamie Dantzscher won every event except for the vault, won every team event and with a 197.700, distanced the Bruins from No. 13 Iowa, who finished in second place with a score of 195.975. No. 12 Oregon State finished third, No. 26 Missouri fifth and Illinois-Chicago finished sixth.

"The field was incredibly tough," Ryden said. "Obviously No. 1 UCLA made it incredibly tough, but we were just .425 out of second, I am very proud of this team."

With its lengthy list of injuries, Arizona can only wonder what could have been had it, a group that was ranked No. 10 in the preseason poll, been able to field its top lineup, which the Gymcats were never able to do.

"Certainly we would have challenged," Ryden said. "We would have had much more scoring power and would have challenged to be one of the top 10 teams in the country. It is just sort of the nature of our sport. I'm not going to cry over spilled milk, so to speak."