No. 21 Arizona GymCats knew they would be headed to the NCAA postseason before the Big 12 Championships. They just needed to know who they would compete against and where. The NCAA announced that information on Monday morning.
Arizona is headed to Seattle to take on a group that is top-heavy with SEC teams. It will also be a truly neutral site since host team Washington finished 38th in NQS and did not qualify for the postseason.
The top four teams in the regional area are all from the SEC, including No. 2 overall seed Oklahoma. They are followed by No. 7 Missouri, No. 10 Georgia, and No. 15 Auburn.
Nebraska, which finished 20th in NQS, is the top team in the region that did not receive a national seed. Arizona is just behind at No. 21. The rest of the group consists of No. 26 Arizona State, No. 29 Illinois, and No. 35 UC Davis.
The team will be led by three of the top 50 all-arounders in the country in sophomore Abigayle Martine (39th), senior Alysen Fears (42nd), and senior Emily Muller (T-48th). They also have Big 12 co-Specialist of the Year Elena Deets, who is tied for 48th on beam and tied for 57th on bars. They are coached by Big 12 Coach of the Year John Court and his staff of Taylor Spears,
The GymCats will compete in the group that includes Georgia, Auburn, and ASU. The top two teams in the group advance to the regional final to face the winners and runners-up from the other group. Individuals whose teams don’t qualify can also advance
Arizona has defeated ASU twice this season, most recently at last Saturday’s Big 12 championship meet. The GymCats have not competed against Auburn or Georgia. They finished 14-3 overall and 5-1 in Big 12 competition during the regular season.
Regionals will take place from Apr. 2-6. Nationals will be held in Ft. Worth, Tex. on Apr. 17 and 19.
Lead photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics