Gymnasts look to rebound
The UA gymnastics team heads west to California tomorrow looking to rebound from its worst meet of the season. Against Boise State last weekend, No. 21 Arizona (3-2 overall, 1-1 Pacific-10) had six falls and four out-of-bounds penalties en route to a season low score of 188.600 and a loss in Boise State.
"We were really forced into an awkward situation on Sunday," UA head coach Bill Ryden said. "We were caught shorthanded due to some injuries and sickness."
While Arizona won't have to use just nine competitors this weekend, they are still battling illness. Seniors Heidi Hornbeek and Maureen Kealey, along with freshman Randi Liljenquist, were diagnosed with a viral infection earlier this week. If Kealey and Hornbeek can't perform tomorrow, the Wildcats will need to supplement a great deal of scoring potential.
"All three of them have been progressing this week, so they should be physically able to compete on Saturday," Ryden said. "The problem comes in when you look at their lack of practice time this week. Many times gymnasts will lose some of their timing and confidence if they don't practice consistently. We'll have to make a decision on Saturday to see if they are physically and mentally ready to perform."
Also struggling with inconsistent performances were sophomore Kara Fry and senior Kristin McDermott. Fry finished with only one score above 9.5 and a season low all-around mark of 36.150. McDermott, while scoring a 9.7 on the vault, finished with a 8.950 in the floor.
"I think it's safe to say Kara was not happy with her performance on Sunday," assistant coach John Court said. "Both her and Kristin are fierce competitors and I think they will rebound against Cal."
The Wildcats will receive a boost this weekend as McDermott has recovered from an illness last week and freshman Brooke Stan's ankle appears to be responding well to a cortisone shot.
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