Keeping her balance
Senior leads gymnastics to regional championship

Surprising even themselves with a first-place finish at regionals, the Arizona State University gymnastics team was a formidable presence on the mats this past season.

Going into the North Central Regional competition, second-seeded ASU was ranked 11th. The victory, however, surprised many, including the team members themselves.

“It was just amazing. I don’t know how to say it, we came in trying to prove ourselves, and we came out winning,” said senior co-captain Ashley Kelly. At regionals, Kelly won the all-around title with a score of 39.525. In her uneven bars and balance beam routines, she scored a 9.9.

The stellar performances for Kelley capped a season full of accomplishment. Kelly scored the highest all-around total in the nation with a 39.875, and was the only gymnast in the nation this season to score a perfect 10 on the balance beam. She won the all-around category in seven of 12 competitions.

The regional crown was the team’s third ever and their first since 1987. With the first-place finish, the Sun Devils automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships that took place in Corvallis, Ore., in April. At nationals, the team saw its season come to an end on day one; the team scored a 195.575 and finished in fourth place in the evening session, which, combined with the scores from the afternoon session, left the Sun Devils in ninth place for the season.

– By Melody Orak, editorial assistant for ASU Magazine.