The No. 19 Arizona gymnastics team finished second yesterday at the Pacific 10 Championships in Berkeley, Calif., matching its best ever finish and tallying their highest road score of the season (195.925).
"It was a great effort," said Gymcats head coach Bill Ryden. "We didn't leave anything out there."
The Gymcats placed behind No. 3 UCLA (197.1), but finished above No. 12 Oregon State (195.125), Stanford (194.6), No. 23 Washington (194.5), No. 25 ASU (192.975) and California (163.55).
The team went 24-for-24 in its performances – there was not one fall.
"This is incredibly important this late in the year. Your postseason will end if you don't do it," Ryden said.
Arizona's six seniors competed as freshmen on the 2002 team that also finished second in the event.
"I'm very proud of the team," said senior Monica Bisordi. "With UCLA in here, second place is just like winning for us.
"We couldn't be happier," she said.
In the all-around competition, Bisordi finished fourth with a score of 39.175. Freshman Danielle Hicks, the only other Gymcat to participate in the all-around, finished eight with a total of 38.85.
"We went in with confidence," Bisordi said. "We discussed out team goals. We had fun and did our job and got it done. We stayed focused."
The Gymcats finished the night on the balance beam with a season-high score of 49.350. Every Arizona gymnast put up a score of at least 9.8.
Seniors Katie Johnson and Bisordi led Arizona with a score of 9.9. Hicks equaled her personal-best score of 9.875.
The Gymcats tallied a total of 48.45 on the uneven parallel bars.
Sophomore Aubrey Taylor led the team with a 9.8 score. Seniors Jamie Schell and Bisordi added 9.675 scores.
Arizona scored 48.45 on the uneven parallel bars.
Sophomore Aubrey Taylor led the team with a 9.8 score. Seniors Jamie Schell and Monica Bisordi each added 9.675 scores.
The Gymcats started off the night on the floor exercise, where they put up a team score of 49.075. Bisordi and Johnson each put up scores of 9.875, to share fifth place overall.
Taylor added in a 9.85 score, which tied her career high.
"It was amazing. I was pumped up to do the best I could after watching the girls in front of me," she said.
Taylor said she hopes her hefty workload throughout the season will help her compensate in the fall for the loss of the team's seniors.
"I was an all-arounder last year, three events this year," she said. "I'm taking on a leadership role, and next year I will be ready to take on the freshman and show them the ropes."
The Gymcats prepare for the NCAA Regional April 9.