FORT WORTH, Texas – Cairo Leonard-Baker scored a 9.900 on the uneven bars to earn Second Team All-America honors and tie for ninth place at the NCAA National Championships on Friday, representing Arizona State gymnastics as an individual in that event.
"I'm really proud of Cairo today," Arizona State head coach Jay Santos said. "She did a fantastic job! She typically handles big situations really well, and today was no different. She followed a terrific Oklahoma lineup and delivered an awesome routine. I'm so happy for her."
Rotating with No. 1 Oklahoma in the second semifinal, Leonard-Baker capped off the second rotation with her 9.900. That score put her in a 10-way tie for ninth. This is the first time a Sun Devil has scored a 9.900 at nationals in any event since Mary Atkinson earned the same score for her vault in 2010.
"It was an amazing experience and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to go," Leonard-Baker said. "It was also great to be with OU because they treated me like I was part of the team."
Leonard-Baker became a Second Team All-American with her strong performance. This is her first postseason All-American honor of her career and the first for any Gym Devil since Mary Atkinson in 2010, which was earned on vault. The last uneven bars All-American was Ashley Kelly in 2006.
The sophomore finished another strong season for the Gym Devils on bars. This was the ninth score of 9.900 or better on bars for the sophomore this season. She has gone 9.900-plus in that event in the last three meets. She was named a WCGA Regular Season Second Team All-American and an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree, both on bars. Her trip to nationals was her second-straight as an individual after last year's trip as an all-around competitor.
The 2019 NCAA Bar Champion is Sarah Finnegan from LSU after she scored a 9.950 in the first semifinal. Denver, LSU, Oklahoma and UCLA are the four teams that advanced to the team finals on Saturday. The competition will be live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. EDT.
"I'm really proud of Cairo today," Arizona State head coach Jay Santos said. "She did a fantastic job! She typically handles big situations really well, and today was no different. She followed a terrific Oklahoma lineup and delivered an awesome routine. I'm so happy for her."
Rotating with No. 1 Oklahoma in the second semifinal, Leonard-Baker capped off the second rotation with her 9.900. That score put her in a 10-way tie for ninth. This is the first time a Sun Devil has scored a 9.900 at nationals in any event since Mary Atkinson earned the same score for her vault in 2010.
"It was an amazing experience and I'm very grateful for the opportunity to go," Leonard-Baker said. "It was also great to be with OU because they treated me like I was part of the team."
Leonard-Baker became a Second Team All-American with her strong performance. This is her first postseason All-American honor of her career and the first for any Gym Devil since Mary Atkinson in 2010, which was earned on vault. The last uneven bars All-American was Ashley Kelly in 2006.
The sophomore finished another strong season for the Gym Devils on bars. This was the ninth score of 9.900 or better on bars for the sophomore this season. She has gone 9.900-plus in that event in the last three meets. She was named a WCGA Regular Season Second Team All-American and an All-Pac-12 First Team honoree, both on bars. Her trip to nationals was her second-straight as an individual after last year's trip as an all-around competitor.
The 2019 NCAA Bar Champion is Sarah Finnegan from LSU after she scored a 9.950 in the first semifinal. Denver, LSU, Oklahoma and UCLA are the four teams that advanced to the team finals on Saturday. The competition will be live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. EDT.