University of Washington
North Carolina
No. 21 Washington Set to Kick Off 2023 Collegiate Gymnastics Season at Super 16
January 05, 2023 | Gymnastics
LAS VEGAS – The No. 21 ranked Washington Huskies will be one of the first teams to take the stage this gymnastics season. The GymDawgs will compete tomorrow, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m. in the first session of the inaugural Super 16 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The event will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network and live streamed on the FoxSports App. Live stats will be available at meetscoresonline.com.
Washington will compete with Southern Utah, Fisk University and the University of North Carolina in Session 1.
POWER OF THE PAC-12
Washington was ranked 21st in the WCGA preseason poll and selected to finish sixth in the Pac-12. All eight Pac-12 gymnastics programs are starting their season with a Top-25 WCGA ranking.
This first-time Super 16 event marks the beginning of a stacked 2023 schedule for the Huskies, who will face eight opponents that finished in the Road to Nationals Top-25 rankings at the conclusion of the 2022 season (UCLA, Stanford, Oregon State, LSU, Arizona State, Florida, Utah, and Minnesota).
All four meets at the Alaska Airlines Arena this season will be against ranked opponents, including No. 10 UCLA (Jan. 21), No. 14 Oregon State (Feb. 4), No. 17 Stanford (Feb. 20), and No. 24 Arizona State (Feb. 26).
GYMNASTS TO LOOK OUT FOR
Fifth-year Brenna Brooks and junior Skylar Killough-Wilhelm were named to the inaugural Pac-12 Gymnastics Preseason Watch List.
Brooks has a wealth of experience under her belt as she enters her fifth season. She earned a season-high 9.925 on beam a season ago, while helping the GymDawgs set their highest regional score in program history to close out the 2022 season after she competed in the beam, bars, and floor exercise and scored a season-best on vault.
Killough-Wilhelm earned All-Pac-12 First Team honors on beam during the 2022 season as well as Pac-12 Honorable Mention in the all-around. Killough-Wilhelm ranked top 20 in the country on the beam all season, while also ranking sixth on beam and 10th on bars in the conference.
RETURNERS
The GymDawgs welcome back 11 returners: sophomores Ashley Blum, Deiah Moody, and Lana Navarro; juniors Skylar Killough-Wilhelm, Taylor Russon, and Gabi Wickman; seniors Morgan Bowles, Isa Weiss (graduate student), and Kennedi Davis (redshirt senior); and fifth-years Amara Cunningham and Brenna Brooks.
NEW FACES
There are seven newcomers joining the 2023 GymDawgs. Hadley Roberts, a graduate transfer from Lindenwood University, along with seven freshmen. Roberts was coached by head coach Jen Llewellyn at Lindenwood for her first three years of eligibility before Llewellyn took over the helm of Washington in 2022.
Freshmen Emily Innes, Caitlin McWilliams, Thu Nguyen, Olivia Oppegard, Emma Schrady, and Lilly Tubbs joined the 2023 squad in the fall.
2022 SEASON IN REVIEW
The Huskies capped off the 2022 season with an 8-8 record, 1-5 in Pac-12 conference action. Washington excelled on its home floor where they were 4-2.
Head coach Jen Llewellyn is entering her second season leading the Washington Huskies. Llewellyn, along with assistant coaches Cody Llewellyn and Jeffrey Langenstein, led the GymDawgs to their highest score ever at Regionals in the 2022 season where they faced No. 5 Alabama, No. 12 Michigan State, and BYU.
Washington finished with a final team score of 197.175, the second time the Huskies broke the 197 mark in the season.
The score was second only to a 197.275 mark that the GymDawgs earned at home on Feb. 21, 2022, against No. 4 Utah.
Washington earned its spot in the NCAA Regionals thanks to a score of 196.400 in the Pac-12 Championships that propelled them to an NQS of 196.550, the sixth highest NQS in program history. Washington's 196.400 placed them just behind UCLA's 196.95 in session one. The Huskies came in sixth overall with Utah taking the meet with a 198.000.
NEXT UP
The GymDawgs extend their early season road trip to West Valley City, Utah on Saturday, Jan. 14 where they will face off with No. 10 UCLA, Minnesota, and Boise State in the Wasatch Classic. Action will begin at 2 p.m. PT.
For more information on the UW gymnastics team, follow @uwgymnastics on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
Players Mentioned
