ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

The Star’s nine-day long project is examining the state of several of the UA’s men’s and women’s sports on campus, reflecting on the prior season and looking ahead to the 2021-22 slate.

Up today is the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ gymnastics program, coached by John Court.

‘Coast-to-coast trip’

Court and his coaching staff have wasted no time getting back on the recruiting road over the last month with restrictions now lifted. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ GymCat coach recently returned home from a travel stint, making stops in Las Vegas, San Diego and North Carolina.

“Yeah, it was a coast-to-coast trip,â€� Court said. “Seeing our recruits that will be freshmen here at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ in two months.â€�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s incoming class features three freshmen that Court believes will be crucial to the future of the program. Alysen Fears, Emily Mueller and Elizabeth LaRusso placed in the top-20 all-around at the 2021 Level 10 Junior Olympic National Championships in May.

“Great people, awesome students and pretty darn good gymnasts, too,� Court added. “So we checked all three boxes we wanted in recruiting.�

‘They put their best foot forward’

Despite the obstacles of playing a season during a pandemic, Court felt that there was no shortage of improvement even in such a short time span.

“I remember the growth we had the most,� Court said. “We had 15 freshmen and sophomores (out of 19 athletes). Not a lot of rosters in the country have that imbalance. But we said that we’re going to thrive through it, and we did. They put their best foot forward.�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s youthful roster peaked at the right time during the spring, placing second in the Pac-12 Championships and tying for third at the NCAA Regionals in Salt Lake City.

“They all killed it in the postseason and they didn’t even have any postseason experience going in,� Court said.

‘We had to send pictures’

During the NCAA’s dead period for recruiting, Court had to get creative when he was virtually recruiting student-athletes. He had already received a commitment from Fears prior to the pandemic but needed a few more athletes to add to the 2021 roster.

Mueller and LaRusso took unofficial visits with their families at their own expense and were able to visit ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ and the UA campus. The only hitch was that the McKale Center and the Mary Roby training center on campus were closed to visitors.

“They were here, but they couldn’t get inside,� Court explained. “So we had to send them pictures, videos and things like that.�

Court’s closing proposal to both was that if they enjoyed the virtual tour, just wait until they saw it in person. That sold Mueller and LaRusso who will be Wildcats with Fears in the fall to form a talented freshman trio.

Assembling the 2021-22 team

Youth will once again be a hallmark of the upcoming GymCats roster. The team will have MacKinzie Kane as the lone senior on the roster and Court expects the group of seven juniors to lead the way.

“Every one of the juniors is a leader, they all can step up and know the expectations that are set for them� he said.

Combine the current makeup of the roster with the arriving freshman trio, and Court believes it could result in one of the best collections of talent he’s had since coming to UA.

“It might be the best team on paper in I don’t know how many years,� he said. “But paper has to show up in McKale. Right now, we feel really good about it.�

Must-watch athlete

Malia Hargrove was named the GymCats’ MVP in the 2021 spring season and for good reason. In her sophomore year, Hargrove put together one of the best season’s by a UA gymnast and advanced all the way to the NCAA Championships, where she earned a 9.8625 on floor.