The No. 24 Arizona GymCats hosted their home opener the third week of the season on Friday, Jan. 17. The win over the Air Force Academy improved their record to 6-1 on the season and pushed them to No. 21 as of Sunday evening, but head coach John Court was more concerned about improved performances than records, scores, or standings.
On third-week improvements
Arizona won its session during the first week of the season and finished second in a loaded session last week before again taking the win against Air Force this week. The scores climbed from 194.925 to 195.825 to 196.100. That wasn’t the most important part, though.
“We actually got our start values and didn’t count a fall, which is something that we have not been able to do for a couple weeks,” Court said. “It started there. That was the most important thing. I said if we do those things and we make sure we’re having fun and we support each other and stay together, something good is going to happen. We had solid events everywhere. We had our fair share of mistakes. We also had our fair share of exceptional routines.”
On freshman improvements
One of those exceptional routines was the floor exercise of Aubrey Krohnfeldt. The freshman had her struggles during the second week, scoring a 9.350 on floor. She rebounded in a big way against the Falcons, scoring a meet-high 9.925 on floor to go along with her 9.725 on uneven bars.
“If she didn’t settle down, she was coming out of the lineup,” Court said. “So I just told her, I said, at the end of the day, we can say 30 different things. You gotta show up, you gotta hit, and you gotta take it personal. And she went out there and she crushed it. That was a gorgeous routine that she did, and she needed it. And it was a huge spot for everybody when that happens. Very happy for her.”
On big debuts
Tirzah Wise competed in just one meet as a freshman. She got a 9.750 on vault and a 9.875 on bars last year against Oregon State. The sophomore hadn’t been in any lineup this season and she had never performed on the beam in college. That came to an end on Friday. She was needed when star beam worker Elena Deets had a very unexpected fall. Wise got a 9.775 on the event to help the team put up a respectable score to back up the decision made by associate head coach Taylor Spears.
“Taylor made the decision to switch out Emma (Strom) and Tirzah based on practice this week,” Court said. “Obviously, I supported her in that decision, and she made the most of that moment right there. Big day for Tirzah.”
On combining gymnastics and the military
It was fitting that Arizona’s Military & First Responders Appreciation Night coincided with a meet against the Air Force Academy. Even more fitting was that Air Force gymnast Maggie Slife won the all-around title with a 39.275 just a week after being named the MWC Gymnast of the Week.
It’s a big ask to combine school, Division I athletics, and military training, and Slife is handling it perfectly according to AFA head coach Jennifer Green. The sophomore was the MWC Freshman of the Year and qualified for regionals as an individual last year. She has picked up where she left off.
“It’s an incredible sacrifice that they’re making, and we’re lucky that we have women that want to serve their country and be incredible athletes,” Green said. “Maggie wanted to be a fighter pilot her whole life. So we’re kind of blessed that she wants to do that, and it’s the best place to do it at the Academy.”
Up Next
Arizona opens its first season of Big 12 competition next week but it’s against an old foe. The GymCats will go to Tempe to compete against ASU on Sunday, Jan. 26. The meet will air on ESPN2 at 3 p.m. MST.
Lead photo by Madison Farwell / Arizona Athletics