University of Washington
Kentucky, Illinois, NIU
GymDawgs Head East For Kentucky Quad Meet
February 23, 2017 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE – Washington gymnastics will the road again, this time to Lexington, Ky., to face No. 11 Kentucky, No. 22 Illinois and NIU in a quad meet on Friday, Feb. 24 at 4:00 p.m. PT. The GymDawgs continue to improve week in and week out, posting a 197.175 last weekend against Arizona – their first time scoring above a 197 since 2004.
"I'm incredibly proud of this team," said head coach Elise Ray. "Last weekend was a big weekend for us. We certainly take time to celebrate, but then it's back to work. We're continuing to focus on excellence and one meet at a time. Now, we work to take what we did at home, on the road."
The GymDawgs swept all four events against Arizona on Sunday, scoring season-highs on bars (49.275), beam (49.425) and floor (49.400), all while having ten top-3 finishers on the day.
This week begins the Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) ranking system, where the high score of the season is eliminated and the remaining five meets are averaged. The Huskies rank inside the top 25 in each event, and they now rank 9th in the nation on beam with an average score of 49.229 (RQS of 49.190).
Hailey Burleson is coming off a career day in which she scored a personal-best 39.575 in the all-around and placed first in three out of the four events.
No. 11 Kentucky and No. 22 Illinois will be the fifth and sixth top-25 team the GymDawgs have faced this season.
"I like tough competition," added Ray. "We need it to get better, so I'm happy we have the opportunity to compete against these teams. It's good to have to prove ourselves out of conference because that's what will happen in post season."
Meet Information
No. 18 Washington vs. No. 11 Kentucky, No. 22 Illinois, and NIU
Friday, Feb. 24 at 4:00 p.m. PT
Live Stream: WatchESPN
Live Tweeting: @UWGymnastics
Scouting Kentucky
The Kentucky Wildcats are currently ranked No. 11 in the nation with an RQS of 196.360. Two weeks ago they took down No. 6 Alabama with a program best score of 197.475. Kentucky sits two spots ahead of Washington on beam at No. 7 in the nation. Alex Hyland is the No. 5 ranked gymnasts on beam with an average score of 9.9.
Scouting Illinois
The Illini are ranked No. 23 in the nation with an RQS of 195.495 and a high score of 196.550. They rank No. 11 on beam with Lizzy Leduc ranking No. 22(t).
Scouting NIU
Northern Illinois are ranked No. 39 with an RQS of 194.295. Their highest score of the season, 195.525, came last week against Eastern Michigan. NIU's highest ranking is on bars at No. 27(t).
Event Previews
Vault, No. 23, RQS: 48.885 - The Huskies scored a 49.075 on vault last week, their second highest score of the season. Burleson had a season-high 9.875 and Alexandra Yacalis scored a solid 9.825. Burlseon has one vault title and her and Yacalis both have two top-3 finishes on the season. Joslyn Goings and Haley Roy each have a top-3 finish and continue to be steady forces on vault. Monica Riley is back in the vault lineup for the Huskies.
Bars, No. 24(t), RQS: 48.830 – Duranczyk leads the GymDawgs with four top-3 finishes on bars and a 9.87 average. She is tied for 15th in the nation and has two bars titles on the season. Goings and Maya Washington also have top-3 finishes this year.
Beam, No. 9, RQS: 49.190 – The GymDawgs best event continues to be beam where they have fifteen top-3 performances on the season. Burleson and Goings each have five top three finishes. Goings leads the Huskies with four beam titles; Burleson has two, and Zoey Schaefer and Malory Rose each have one.
Floor, No. 22, RQS: 48.965 – The Huskies scored a season-high 49.400 on floor last week after having all six competing gymnasts in the top-6. Burleson leads the Huskies with four top-3 finishes. Yacalis, Duranczyk and Maya Washington all have top-3 finishes this season.
All-Around – Burleson ranks 15th in the nation in the all-around with an RQS of 39.260. She has four AA titles on the season and scored a personal-best 39.575 this past weekend against Arizona. Goings has also competed in the all-around this season.
Last Time Out
The GymDawgs scored a season-high 197.175 against No. 25 Arizona Sunday afternoon in Alaska Airlines Arena. The 197.175 marks the first time the GymDawgs have scored above a 197 since 2004. The season-high score is 8th all-time in program history.
Players Mentioned
