The Arizona GymCats might have come in second in their session of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad last weekend, but their team score made a big jump over the opening week. Fifth-year gymnast Elena Deets was a big reason why. Her performances on balance beam and uneven bars earned her co-event specialist of the week honors in the Big 12.
Deets had a relatively solid opening meet with a 9.775 on bars and 9.875 on balance bean at the American Gold Women’s Collegiate Classic, where the numbers were fairly low across the board. They took a huge leap in the second week.
Arizona was ranked No. 30 in the preseason WCGA poll, which ranks the top 36 teams in the nation. The GymCats faced off against preseason No. 13 Michigan, No. 25 North Carolina State, and No. 28 Clemson. They had a chance to win until the last gymnast of the meet, finishing 0.100 behind Michigan.
Deets had 9.850 on bars and a 9.900 on beam to help propel the team from a poor start. They had two major breaks on floor exercise to open the event, putting them in last place. She finished fourth on bars and tied with teammate Abigayle Martin for first on beam.
The award was the second conference weekly honor for Deets. She was Pac-12 Specialist of the Week the first week of March 2024. It is the first Big 12 weekly honor for an Arizona gymnast, although Deets, Alysen Fears, Elizabeth LaRusso, and Emily Mueller each made at least one preseason All-Big 12 team.
The GymCats host Air Force for their home opener on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. MST before jumping into Big 12 competition the following week.