Dec. 12, 2012

TUCSON, Ariz. - The 2013 official preseason rankings are out, and Arizona gymnastics will head into season ranked 19^th in the nation according to the Preseason Coaches' Poll released by the National Associate of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches this past Monday.

The Wildcats, who rounded out the season ranked No. 22 in the nation, will be looking towards a 27^th consecutive post season appearance and a berth to the 2013 NCAA National Championships.

Led by seniors Aubree Cristello and Molly Quirk, the 2013 team returns nine letterwinners and adds four fresh faces which will face some fierce competition this season. Of the scheduled 19 opponents, 11 are ranked within the top 25 including No. 2 UCLA, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Utah, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 Nebraska, No. 9 Oregon State, No. 13 Auburn, No. 17 Washington, No. 18 Illinois, No. 21 Missouri, and No. 25 Kentucky.

"We knew going in we would have one of the toughest schedules in the country. I think we will have our hands full, but we will grow from it," head coach Bill Ryden said, "We will strive from every victory we receive and grow from any loss we may encounter. I know we will certainly get better from week to week due to the level of competition we will see."

From a conference perspective, Arizona is one of six Pac-12 teams to earn a top 25 ranking; the others include No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Utah, No. 6 Stanford, No. 9 Oregon State and No. 17 Washington.

"The Pac-12 is certainly one of the very best gymnastics conferences in the country. As a whole the Pac-12 is incredibly strong, and gymnastics is a very strong sport within our conference. We perform very well nationally year after year - there is no such thing as having a week off for any of us, so it's no surprise how well everyone is ranked," Ryden said.

Arizona opens the season on the road, facing off against California, No. 13 Auburn, and No. 25 Kentucky on January 6 at 2:00p.m. in Berkeley, Calif.

Preseason Gymnastics Coaches' Poll