The No. 18 Arizona gymnastics team finished their season Saturday, taking fourth place out of six teams in the NCAA regional final in Lincoln, Neb.
Six seniors saw their last action competing for Arizona.
"It will be hard to replace their routines, but we can't replace their leadership," said Gymcats head coach Bill Ryden. "This is definitely the end of a great era for us."
The Gymcats (194.700) finished behind No. 8 Michigan (196.600), No. 6 Nebraska (196.300) and No. 19 Missouri (195.100), but placed ahead of Pacific 10 Conference rival ASU (194.500) and Illinois (193.825).
"It hasn't quite hit me yet," said senior Katie Johnson. "(It) kind of hit me at the meet. Sad. It'll take a few weeks for it to sink in."
Arizona senior Monica Bisordi (38.925) was named the 2005 South Central Region Co-Gymnast of the Year with Richelle Simpson of Nebraska and Jackie Jaworowicz of Illinois-Chicago.
With her overall score, Bisordi finished her Arizona career with 2,120.790 points scored, the most in school history.
Bisordi took seventh place in the all-around competition, one spot below ASU's April Boone for the last all-around qualifying spot at the NCAA Championships. Freshman Danielle Hicks (38.800) finished just behind Bisordi in eighth place.
The Gymcats ended the night on the balance beam with a team score of 48.625. Johnson and senior Jaime Duce led the Gymcats with 9.750 scores.
Hicks chipped in with a 9.725 mark, while Taylor and senior Stevie Fanning each added 9.700 scores.
Arizona had a bye during the sixth rotation, but the team knew its meet was over.
"It was disheartening," Ryden said. "We already knew we were out. It would have taken a big breakdown from the other teams."
"I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the rest of the meet," Johnson said. "It's bittersweet."
After their third rotation bye, the Gymcats finished the fourth rotation with a season-high score of 49.075 in the uneven parallel bars.
Sophomore Aubrey Taylor led the team with a 9.875. Taylor matched her season and career high to earn a fifth-place finish.
Hicks and freshman Karin Wurm (9.825 each) tied their career bests, while Bisordi (9.800), Duce (9.775) and Fanning (9.700) rounded out the Gymcats lineup.
Arizona tallied a team score of 48.000 on the vault. Johnson led the Gymcats with a 9.800 score.
The Gymcats began the night on the floor exercise, where they compiled a team score of 49.000.
Johnson led the way with a 9.900 routine. Bisordi and Duce added in scores of 9.825 and 9.750, respectively.
Wurm included a 9.750 performance.
Despite the impending loss of their seniors, the Gymcats said they look forward to next season.
"We've already started recruiting," Ryden said. "We'll rest for a bit, then open the gym for voluntary workouts. Next year we are young - one senior, two juniors and mostly freshmen and sophomores."
The team holds its annual banquet May 8 to honor the departing seniors.