The No. 21 Arizona GymCats are looking at the NCAA Regional Semifinals in Seattle as just another quad meet. They have the same goal as in their previous four quad meets this season.
“In every quad meet, we approached it like a regional meet,” said Arizona head coach John Court. “The goal is to come in first or second. Every quad meet that we’ve done this year, we have come in either first or second.”
Coming in first or second in their session on Friday, Apr. 4 would mean moving on to the Regional Final. That will be held on Sunday, Apr. 6.
The three teams standing in their way are No. 7 Missouri, No. 10 Georgia, and No. 26 Arizona State.
It’s not the worst draw in the world. The GymCats would not have to face No. 2 Oklahoma unless both teams reach the finals in their region. Missouri and Georgia are very good, but Oklahoma is another challenge altogether. As for ASU, UA has already beaten them twice this season.
“I think we have a great shot of making Sweet 16 at regionals,” said senior Elena Deets. “So, super exciting for us as a team, and for me, I just want to go out there and soak in every moment.”
The GymCats will lean hard on a quartet of seniors that includes Deets, Alysen Fears, Emily Mueller, and Elizabeth LaRusso. The group typically accounts for 12 of the 24 routines in every meet. Fears and Mueller are both all-arounders. LaRusso performs vault and floor exercise. Deets does bars and beam.
The performances Deets has put together this season earned her recognition as the co-honoree for the Big 12 Event Specialist of the Year award.
However, as a team, the GymCats believe they could have done better this year. They did not build as much as they wanted as the year progressed. They had some meets where experienced gymnasts had uncharacteristic errors. They hope that’s a learning experience for those coming back.
“It takes a full roster…and everyone being the best version of themselves in here,” Court said. “And if that’s happening [next year], we’ll be good. That totally didn’t happen this year. We were probably about 85 percent.”
Amelia Rock is one of the gymnasts who will be taking the experience from this year and building on it. The freshman dealt with an injury early in the season, but she had the opportunity to get into the beam rotation during some late meets. She earned a career high of 9.825 at the Big 12 Championships on Mar. 22. She may get that opportunity again at regionals.
“As the year’s going on, I’m glad I’ve been able to contribute more,” Rock said. “It’s been fun on beam and stuff. I’m feeling really good right now. I feel like I’m in a really good spot with my team, and I’m feeling really comfortable and consistent.”
It would be a huge accomplishment for Rock if she is in the lineup on Friday. Not only is it the biggest meet of her short collegiate career, but it’s taking place about an hour from her home in Buckley, Wash.
“Going home for a big meet like this, it’s really exciting,” Buck said. “I think the energy is going to be great. I have been to the UW meets, like growing up, my whole life, so it’ll be really cool to compete there and kind of have like a home crowd in a sense. My whole family is able to come, and my friends will be there. I think my club gym is gonna try to come. So I’m really excited to just go back and see everyone.”
It’s a good thing that Rock will have supporters in the stands. Washington is the host school but the Huskies did not qualify for the postseason this year. One of their gymnasts qualified as an individual and will be rotating with the GymCats, but there will be no hometown team for local fans to support.
“They’ve set some record crowds this year in Seattle, but that’s also when the team is playing,” Court said.
Arizona has one goal whether the event is well-attended or not. The GymCats want to get to Sunday. Should the team fall short, Court believes that they could have individual qualifiers move on to compete at nationals.
Session 1 of the Seattle Regional Semifinals gets underway at 1 p.m. on Friday, Apr. 4. It will be streamed on ESPN+.
Recruiting notes
Arizona got verbal commitments from two gymnasts in the 2026 class over the past few days.
- Avery Tarico out of Gold Medal Gymnastics in Chandler, Ariz. announced her commitment on Mar. 31. Her high scores in Level 10 are 38.400 in the all-around, 9.500 on vault, 9.600 on bars, 9.850 on balance beam, and 9.875 on floor exercise. She also visited ASU.
- Olivia Sawyer out of Texas Dreams also announced her commitment on Mar. 31. Her level 10 high scores are 38.000 in the all-around, 9.425 on vault, 9.550 on bars, 9.675 on floor exercise, and 9.550 on beam.