The Big 12 is honoring a preseason gymnastics team for the first time in its 28 years of sponsoring the sport. Arizona placed four athletes on the five teams. Fifth-year Elena Deets and seniors Alysen Fears, Elizabeth LaRusso, and Emily Mueller were all named to at least one of the teams.
Fears is the most-honored of the group. She was named preseason All-Big 12 as an all-arounder, on vault, and on bars. It’s well-earned.
The senior from Murrieta, Calif. came to Arizona as a Level 10 national champion on bars but she has been an all-arounder off and on throughout her college career. Last season she became a consistent performer on all four events. She made the best of it.
Fears has appeared in 40 meets over three years, including competing in all 28 over the past two years. Last year, she had the third-highest all-around NQS of any returning Big 12 gymnast at 39.145. On bars, she has the fourth-highest 2024 NQS (9.905) of the returners.
Fears has a career high of at least 9.900 on all four events. Her highest score on bars is 9.950. The other three events are 9.900. Her career high in the all-around is 39.475.
Getting fifth-year gymnast Deets to return for one more year was a huge accomplishment for head coach John Court. She is a superb beam worker and competes every event except vault. She has career highs of 9.975 on beam, 9.925 on floor exercise, and 9.900 on bars.
Those kinds of scores landed Deets on the preseason All-Big 12 team for the balance beam as a unanimous selection. She was the only unanimous selection of the four GymCats.
Deets’ 2024 NQS on beam was 9.910. That ranks fourth among Big 12 gymnasts who have returned this season.
Her experience is also huge for the GymCats. Deets has competed in 45 meets during her first four years at Arizona. She appeared in all 14 last year.
Deets will be important on a beam lineup that tied Arizona State for the third-highest 2024 NQS on the event among Big 12 teams. The team had a 49.305 over the course of the season.
Floor exercise was Arizona’s strongest event last year. The GymCats had the third-highest NQS of current Big 12 teams in 2024. They finished at 49.400. Mueller was a big reason why.
Mueller’s 2024 NQS on floor ranks sixth among returning Big 12 gymnasts. It landed her on the preseason All-Big 12 team for the event. She has a career high of 9.925 on the apparatus, matching her career high on balance beam. She has competed in all four events, earning career highs of 9.900 on bars, 9.850 on vault, and 39.350 in the all-around.
The fourth preseason honoree is a gymnast Arizona sorely missed last year as she recovered from Tommy John surgery. LaRusso’s absence was one reason the GymCats had some difficulties on vault.
LaRusso gives Arizona two members of the preseason All-Big 12 vault team, something that seemed unlikely considering their strength on floor and beam. Having a gymnast of her caliber back is a huge boost.
The senior has a career best of 9.875 on vault. She also sports a career best of 9.800 on bars and 9.900 on floor exercise.
Arizona will start the season at the Pacific Coast Challenge in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday, Jan. 4. The GymCats will face Rutgers, Wilberforce, and Southern Utah in the second session of the event at 8 p.m. MST.
The team has its home opener on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. MST when Air Force comes to McKale Center.
Lead photo by Marison Bilagody / Arizona Athletics