COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Arizona gymnastics team earned a score of 193.225 in its first road meet of the season, placing second in a quad-meet Saturday at the XFINITY Center. Reigning Big 10 champion and 19th-ranked Minnesota took first place with score of 194.900, while host Maryland finished third (192.350) and Alaska-Anchorage (188.175) placed fourth.

"This was a good experience to bring our team on the road and get outside our comfort zone," head coach Tabitha Yim said. "We had a couple unfortunate injuries during the meet that created some difficult circumstances for us, but we had a lot of highlight performances and I am proud of that."

Arizona opened the meet on the balance beam with a team score of 48.550, a strong improvement over a 48.000 score in the season-opener. Freshman Courtney Cowles earned an early career-high with a 9.775, while junior Madison Cindric notched the GymCats' top score of the year in the event with a 9.775.

The GymCats moved to the floor exercise and claimed a narrow lead in the second rotation with their score of 48.425. Freshman Madeline Leydin posted a season-high 9.725 to lead off the event and Cindric added a 9.800 to again pace the team.

For the third rotation, Arizona turned in a 48.575 on vault. Sophomore Lauren Mattson collected a season high with a score of 9.750 and Cindric did the same once again with a 9.800, which earned her a second-place finish in the event. Leydin and Heather Swanson each chipped in 9.700s.

Arizona entered the final rotation trailing Minnesota by .275 and, despite some outstanding routines, was unable to overcome the deficit as the GymCats scored a 47.675 on the uneven bars. Senior Krysten Howard and junior Victoria Ortiz each tallied 9.800s to share third-place honors, while Danielle Spencer-Bearham matched her career-best with a 9.850.

"Overall, it's not the team effort we are looking for," Yim said "But I know we're going to put our best foot forward and learn from the obstacles we faced today. We will get back home and grind away at practice as we look forward to our home meet next weekend."
The GymCats will return to action at home next weekend in McKale when they host Iowa State on Saturday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. in McKale Center.

For continued coverage of Arizona Gymnastics, follow the team at arizonawildcats.com/gymnastics, on Facebook at facebook.com/ArizonaGymnastics, and on Twitter @AZGymnastics.