National Championships Await Two Gym Devils
TEMPE – Seniors Jada Mangahas and Anaya Smith are set for their first time at the NCAA Championships, competing as individuals on bars and vault, respectively, to represent Sun Devil Gymnastics. They will be in the first semifinal on Thursday, April 18, at 1:30 p.m. MST/3:30 p.m. CDT in Fort Worth, Texas.
The two Sun Devils will be rotating with Arkansas, with Smith competing in rotation three and Mangahas wrapping up the competition in rotation four. All of the action from the two semifinals will be on ESPN2, with three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman and three-time Olympian John Roethlisberger on the call.
This is the first time both Mangahas and Smith have qualified for nationals. It's the second-straight year that ASU has had an individual at nationals after Hannah Scharf went in 2023 in the all-around.
At regionals, Mangahas earned a 9.900 on bars to earn her spot at nationals, which was tied for the third-best score. Though not the highest score in the regional, the two best bars scores came from Cal, a team that qualified for nationals. Additionally, Mangahas won the tiebreaker with other 9.9s because her score between all four judges was the highest (three 9.9s and a 9.95). On vault at regionals, Smith also scored a 9.900, a score that made her a co-champion on the event in this region. The two other 9.900s came from advancing teams, thus giving Smith the automatic bid as an individual.
In her senior season, Mangahas has been a force on bars. She has four scores of 9.900 or better, including a career-high tying 9.925 against Southern Connecticut. She has not scored below a 9.800 on bars this season. Her scores helped her win three event titles in the all-around this year. Fortunately for the Sun Devils, she will be returning for a fifth year.
On vault, Smith has been the anchor for the team in her final campaign for the Gym Devils. She has seven scores of 9.900 or better, including a 9.950 at home against Cal and Oklahoma, which tied her personal best. She won seven event titles this season, which is tied for the most on the team.