Senior Night Sees Season-High Team Score - Arizona State University Athletics (2024)

TEMPE – Behind a career night from Emily White, No. 20 Sun Devil Gymnastics earned a season-high 197.600 to get the win over Southern Connecticut's 194.400 in the final home meet of the season on Friday night at Desert Financial Arena, wrapping up the regular season.

Notable Stats

• Arizona State (8-5, 4-3 Pac-12) had a victorious senior night over Southern Connecticut (2-9). A new season high 197.600 ties their 11th highest team total in history, sending off the senior class in style.
• ASU scored at least a 49.000 on all four events, making that nine meets in a row doing so. The vault streak is up to 21 in a row with 49-plus, extending the program record. Additionally, the bars streak is up to 20 in a row, a new program record.
• The beam score of 49.550 ties the team record for the sixth highest score in program history. This is the highest beam score since 2007.
• Senior Emily White had a historic night as she broke and tied many of her previous records. Earning three 9.950s on bars, beam, and floor, she set a new career high all-around record with a 39.625, which is now the 15th highest all-around record in program history. Her beam and floor scores tied her personal best, while her bars score set a new career high. She claimed all event titles except vault, earning her first event titles of the season on bars and in the all-around.
• Senior Anaya Smith was the vault event title winner with a 9.925, her sixth vault event title of the season.
• Graduate Hannah Scharf earned a pair of 9.925s on beam and floor. Her performances tied her season high on floor and earned her a new season high on beam. Her vault performance of 9.900 tied her career and season high.
• Senior Jada Mangahas earned a new season high on bars with a 9.925, which matches her career high. Graduate Gracie Reeves also earned a new season high on beam with a 9.900, tying her career high.
• Freshman Halle Gregoire tied her career high score on floor with a 9.900.
• Following the meet, the seven seniors and two fifth years were honored during the senior ceremony. Additionally, three seniors announced that they were returning for a fifth year: Sarah Clark, Mangahas and White.

Quotes
Head Coach Jay
Opening Statement
"It was a night. Obviously, you have to love senior nights. To look out at that group, I turned around and we were taking up the entire floor at one point. It was kind of humbling to just know there's that many of them. They've been here for this long, and everything that we've done, tonight it was obvious. It was a great night, great meet, certainly a couple of things we can clean up. Overall I thought we were pretty sharp. I think it's also great that they kept their energy great, they kept their emotions in a good place all night long. We did everything we could tonight. I think it's great going into the Pac-12s, they're gonna be pretty confident and flying higher. Just bringing that excitement in right before the Pac-12s, I think is a great thing."

On the high team score:
"I think it's kind of, I don't wanna say relief, but just to get it out of the way and feel that excitement and roll into this week hopefully with a lot of energy, a lot of purpose to go to the Pac-12s. I mean, we still had a couple of mistakes. My goal today was 24-for-24. That's what I've been preaching all week. That's what I wanted. We didn't quite get that, but when we made a mistake, the next kid up was able to do a really great routine. That's another thing that we've talked about all year long is that one mistake doesn't kill us if we can bounce back and that next person does exactly what they need to. So we got that in multiple spots today, in vault and in bars, the next kid up had a great routine and just reset everything, everybody's relaxed again and everybody was going again. So, I'm excited. I hope their confidence is gonna be really high this week. It was a strong day for us."

On the senior class:
"It's kind of crazy to think about Hannah (Scharf) and Gracie (Reeves) with the fifth-years and everything that group has done. It's very humbling for me to think of everything they've accomplished. To continue to push the level of this program up with multiple wins against UCLA, a win against Utah, top-25 finishes, top-20 finishes and top-10 finishes in the country, there's just huge stuff there. It's hard to quantify. They're essentially half the team and they've done all the work, all the heavy lifting for so long, it's almost gonna be a hole when they leave."

An incredible send off for this special group ??#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/hnKb6aGLND

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Senior Emily White
On how it feels hitting the 197 mark again going into Pac-12s:
"It feels amazing. This meet, we were really focusing not on the scores but just celebrating. Celebrating the seniors, celebrating everyone's last meet at DFA this season and just all the hard work we put in this season and during preseason. And I think that's honestly why we put it together so well. We weren't focusing on the scores, but obviously just by doing that, we got where we wanted to. I think we're all super happy, super excited and I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into Pac-12s and postseason."

On what the senior class has meant to her:
"There's so much. I honestly can't say enough how grateful I am to be in the senior class and to be able to have this last year with the seniors and the fifth-years. They're the best group of girls. I honestly don't think that you could have chosen any other group of nine girls that are this special and have a bond like us. It's honestly been a blessing. It's been a blessing these past four years to have them by my side."

Senior Gracie Reeves
On where she has seen the most growth over her time at ASU:
"I would say I've seen the most growth in how I approach life in general. I feel like, being a gymnast, you get thrown in lineups, you get taken out of lineups. It doesn't seem like a big deal to other people, but those things are really important and they can be really hard sometimes and I feel like it's really helped me grow as a person and I'm just so much stronger from it. So I would say my gymnastics has improved a lot since I've been a freshman, but ultimately just the way I approach life and challenges and everything and the way I communicate how I'm feeling has just really improved."

On what type of energy it brings to the team when Emily White hits three 9.950s:
"It helps the team so much. If we're not getting the highest scores in the beginning and then we're getting 9.950s at the end, that is such a confidence booster. It gets the team's energy back up. It can flip our energy in a second. So, it's amazing to have those at the end of the lineup, and honestly she does it every time. Beam, when she's going, it's a four inch wide beam but I'll never once doubt her. I know exactly what Emily's going to go up there and do, and she's going to hit a routine. I trust her with my whole heart, and it brings a lot of confidence and it just makes us feel level because we know we trust her and we know she's gonna hit."

Final Results:

1. Arizona State, 197.600
2. Southern Connecticut, 194.400

SEASON HIGH ON SENIOR NIGHT ??#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/oF692FnZqj

See Also

Senior Night Ideas: How to Plan a Memorable CelebrationEssential Guide: What Do Parents Wear for Senior Night?Sturdy base: Bayley Humphrey embraces bittersweet feeling ahead of Senior Night - The Baylor LariatUnraveling the Tradition: What is Senior Night Football

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Rotation One: Vault, 49.250
At the last home meet of the season, Reeves earned a clutch 9.875 after a few hiccups forced the Sun Devils to step up. Following Reeves, Scharf delivered a 9.900 to continue the upwards momentum. In the anchor spot, Anaya Smith closed out the rotation, earning a solid 9.925.

9??.9??2??5?? for our senior vault queen @anayasmith_!!

???: ASU Live Stream#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/wDuj5fu6my

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Rotation Two: Bars, 49.350
In the lead-off spot, Cassi Barbanente earned a 9.800, while Cienna Samiley posted a 9.825. Mangahas delivered a solid 9.925, a new personal season high. White had a star studded bars performance and earned a 9.950, a new career high. Closing out the rotation, Clark put up a 9.850.

9??.9??2??5?? @jadamangahas!!! That ties her career high!

???: ASU Live Stream#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/d43L5CN6Tb

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Rotation Three: Beam, 49.550
The beam queen, White, earned a 9.950 in the anchor spot, the highest score of the event for the Sun Devils. Kayla Lee started off the event with a solid 9.875. Reeves and Clark earned a pair of 9.900s, a new personal season high for Reeves. Scharf earned a new season high with her solid 9.925 beam performance.

STUCK?? 9??.9??2??5?? for @hannahscharf_, a new season high on beam for her ??

???: ASU Live Stream#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/pgkeorBDO0

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Rotation Four: Floor, 49.450
Closing out the last home meet, Kimberly Smith earned a 9.825 while Mangahas scored a 9.850. Gregoire delivered a solid 9.900, tying her career high. White executed an outstanding floor routine, earning a 9.950, her first time doing so this season. In the anchor spot, Scharf earned a 9.925 to give the Sun Devils a strong home meet finish.

A THIRD 9??.9??5??0?? FOR EMILY WHITE TODAY????

???: ASU Live Stream#GymDevils /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/PMO0GefAkL

See Also

No. 4 Florida Closes Regular-Season Action with Senior Night Win - Florida Gators

— Sun Devil Gymnastics (@SunDevilGym) March 16, 2024

Up Next
The Gym Devils are heading to their final Pac-12 Championship next Saturday, March 23, at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.