UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics

The UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team represents the University of California, Los Angeles and competes in the Pac-12 Conference. They currently compete in Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA. The team, coached by Chris Waller, has won 21 Regional titles and 7 NCAA National Championships, most recently in 2018.[2]

UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics
Founded1974 (1974)
UniversityUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Head coachChris Waller (2nd season)
ConferencePac-12
LocationLos Angeles, California
Home arenaPauley Pavilion (Capacity: 13,800)
NicknameBruins
ColorsBlue and Gold[1]
         
National championships
7 (1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2018)
NCAA Championships
NCAA Regional championships
23 (1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2019)
Regional Champions
Conference championships
20 (1981[WCAA], 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019)
Pac-12 Championships

The Bruins are known for recruiting top elite gymnasts from North America and beyond, including Austria, Germany, Guatemala, and Ireland.[3] Some notable current and former UCLA gymnasts include current U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Michelle Giuda, Dr. Onnie Willis Rogers, current stuntwoman Heidi Moneymaker, and Olympic gymnasts Jamie Dantzscher, Mohini Bhardwaj, Kate Richardson, Tasha Schwikert, Kristen Maloney, Yvonne Tousek, Stella Umeh, Luisa Portocarrero, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Sam Peszek, Peng Peng Lee, Jennifer Pinches, Jordyn Wieber, who was the team manager and then a volunteer assistant coach for UCLA, Kyla Ross, and Madison Kocian.

Highlights

  • 1997 - The women's team won its first national championship.[4]
  • 2000 - The women's team won its second national championship.[5]
  • 2001 - The women's team won its third national championship.[5]
  • 2003 - The women's team won its fourth national championship.[5]
  • 2004 - The women's team won its fifth national championship.[5]
  • 2008 Canadian Olympic Gymnastics team member Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs attended UCLA, a member of the team in 2008–2009 season.
  • The Bruins won the 2009 Pac-10 title, their 14th, and was 7th seeded in the NCAA National Championships. They competed at the NCAA North Central Regionals at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Saturday, Apr. 4 with Florida (#6), Minnesota (#18), Denver (#20), Iowa State (#23) and Iowa (#28). The Bruins came in second behind Florida.[6]
  • 2009 – In the second session of the national championships, the Bruins finished tie for third place with Utah. But Utah won the tie breakers by counting all the scores of the six competitors in each event and advanced to the Super Six team finals.[7]
  • 2010 – The team won its 15th Pacific-10 Championship, with Anna Li scoring a perfect 10 on uneven bars. Vanessa Zamarripa won all-around and vault, and was named 2010 Pac-10 Gymnast Of The Year.
  • 2010 – UCLA Gymnastics won the Los Angeles Regional and qualified for the NCAA Championships in Gainesville, Florida.[8] Anna Li again scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars at Pauley Pavilion, where both of her parents, Li Yuejiu and Wu Jiani won medals at the 1984 Olympic Games.
  • 2010 – USA Olympic team silver medalist Samantha Peszek is attending UCLA, and is a new member of the 2011 UCLA gymnastics team.
  • 2010– The team won its sixth NCAA title at the O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL.
  • 2011 – UCLA finished second in the national competition; Athens Regional champions; Samantha Peszek was first in balance beam with a 9.90 score.
  • 2012 – Third place finish in team competition; Olivia Courtney was third in uneven bars, and Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs was second in floor exercise.
  • 2013 – UCLA was 4th in the team competition held at its own Pauley Pavilion; Four Bruins finished as top-eight performers in individual competition, three (Olivia Courtney, Kaelie Baer, and Vanessa Zamarripa) on vault and one (Danusia Francis) on beam.
  • 2014 – UCLA did not qualify to Saturday night's Super Six competition in Birmingham, AL. Two Bruins competed on Sunday in event finals, Samantha Peszek and Olivia Courtney.
  • 2015 – UCLA captured the team's 21st Regional Championship with a score of 197.500 points at the NCAA Columbus Regional. Samantha Peszek was the All Around Co-Champion with 39.6 points; Samantha Peszek also won the balance beam with a 9.950 score.
  • 2016 – UCLA finished second at the Salt Lake City Regional, held at the University of Utah's Jon M. Huntsman Center with a score of 196.375. The Bruins advanced to the NCAA Gymnastics Championships for the 32nd time, assigned to the Semifinal II. Seniors Danusia Francis and Sadiqua Bynum and junior Angi Cipra were awarded regular season All-America honors by the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC/W).
  • 2017 – UCLA finished 4th at the NCAA Super Six Finals. Freshman Kyla Ross won both the Balance Beam and the Uneven Bars titles; she also received four perfect 10.0 scores throughout the season.[9] Freshman Madison Kocian also scored a perfect 10.0 on February 11.[10]
  • 2018 – UCLA won their seventh NCAA title in St Louis. Peng Peng Lee and Katelyn Ohashi also won individual titles on the balance beam and floor exercise, respectively.
  • 2019 – Coach Valorie Kondos Field will retire from coaching. An attendance record of 12,907 at Pauley Pavilion was set during a meet with Stanford on March 10, 2019. Senior Katelyn Ohashi set a Pac-12 record by winning the conference's Specialist of the Week award for the sixth time and her 10th career award this season. Kyla Ross completed a "gym slam" on March 17, 2019 at Miss Val's final home meet in Pauley Pavilion by recording a perfect 10 score on the floor exercise. UCLA won the Pac-12 championship with a score of 198.4, setting a new Pac-12 Gymnastics Championship record. Kyla Ross was the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year, and Valorie Kondos Field was the Coach of the Year (her fifth Pac-12 honor).
  • 2020 - Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the NCAA cancelled the remainder of the season on March 12.[11] Subsequently, the team finished the season ranked third, with an RQS of 197.565 after the tenth week of competition.[12] On January 31, senior Gracie Kramer was the first of only two gymnasts to score a perfect 10 on the floor exercise during the 2020 season, with the routine garnering millions of views online.[13] On February 23, senior Grace Glenn scored the first ever leadoff 10.0 on the balance beam in NCAA history;[14] junior Nia Dennis' floor routine from the same meet went viral on Twitter and Facebook, leading to her appearance on the Ellen Show on March 11.[15] Kyla Ross scored an additional three perfect 10.0 scores during the season,[16] two on bars and the other on the last vault of her career;[17] this brought her career total to 22 perfect scores, tied 4th with Maggie Nichols in NCAA history.[18]

Championships

Super Six appearances

UCLA Bruins Super Six Appearances
Year Finish Score
19934th194.925
19945th194.975
19953rd196.150
19962nd197.475
19971st197.150
19985th195.750
19995th195.850
20001st197.300
20011st197.575
20023rd197.150
20031st197.825
20041st198.125
20054th197.150
20074th196.925
20101st197.725
20112nd197.375
20123rd197.750
20134th197.100
20146th197.050
20165th196.8250
20174th197.2625
20181st198.075

Four on the Floor appearances

UCLA Bruins Four on the Floor Appearances
Year Finish Score
20193rd197.5375

Coaches

Head coaches

Name Years Record Win %
Lee Ann Lobdill 1977–1979 34–30–0 .531
Jerry Tomlinson 1980–1990 191–63–1 .750
Scott Bull 1991–1994 77–16–0 .828
Valorie Kondos Field 1991–2019 516–120–3 .810
Chris Waller 2020–present 0–0–0 .000
  • record includes invitationals and conference championships as of 2018.

Coaches for the 2020–2021 season

Name Position
Chris Waller Head Coach
Kristina Comforte Associate Head Coach
Dom Palange Assistant Coach
BJ Das Volunteer Assistant Coach
Kyla Ross Undergraduate Assistant Coach

Current roster

[19]

2020–2021 Roster
Name Height Year Hometown Secondary school Club Events
Emma Andres5–6SORocklin, CARocklinByers Roseville GymnasticsAA
Chae Campbell5-7FRCarrollton, TXPrestonwood Christian AcademyMetroplex GymnasticsAA
Nia Dennis5–1SRColumbus, OHMatea ValleyBuckeye Gymnastics, Legacy Elite GymnasticsAA
Frida Esparza5-4FRPittsburg, CAK12 International AcademyHead Over HeelsAA
Norah Flatley4–11JRWest Des Moines, IAConnections AcademyChow's Gymnastics and Dance InstituteAA
Margzetta Frazier5–1JRSicklerville, NJConnections AcademyParkettesVT, UB, FX
Paige Hogan5-2SOSimi Valley, CASimi ValleyWaller's GymJam AcademyVT, FX
Savannah Kooyman5-3SRLaguna Hills, CAAliso NiguelPrecision GymnasticsUB, FX
Chloe Lashbrooke5-3SOScottsdale, AZChaparralGold Medal GymnasticsAA
Brooklyn Moors5-3FRCambridge, ONBishop Macdonell CatholicDynamoAA
Kendal Poston5–0SRFoothill Ranch, CATrabuco HillsAzarian GymnasticsVT, BB
Samantha Sakti5–0JRArcadia, CAArcadia / William & MaryAll Olympia Gymnastics CenterVT, BB, FX
Nicki Shapiro5-1SRLos Angeles, CASanta Monica HSAll OlympiaAA
Kalyany Steele5–2SOColorado Springs, COColorado Connections AcademyColorado AerialsAA
Sara Taubman5-3JRFairfax, CASir Francis DrakeHead Over HeelsAA
Pauline Tratz5-7SRKarlsruhe, GermanyOtto-Hahn GymnasiumKunstturn Region KarlsruheVT, BB, FX
Sara Ulias5-4FRThousand Oaks, CACentury AcademyParamount Elite GymnasticsAA
Lilia Waller5-5SRSanta Clarita, CAHartWaller's GymJam AcademyAA
Sekai Wright5-6JRParamount, CAParamountAmerican Gymnastics AcademyVT

Future recruits

Gymnasts who have committed to UCLA.

2021-2022 Commits

  • Emily Lee (signed)[22] - West Valley Gymnastics School - US National Team member; 2018 American Classic (5th VT; 4th FX)
  • Mia Erdoes - 2021 - NYC Elite - L9 - 2018 Level 9 Easterns: 1st AA, UB, BB, FX[23]
  • Alexis Jeffrey (signed)[22] - GAGE - jr. international elite[24]

NCAA Championships

Banners honoring the NCAA national championships won by UCLA.

With the titles in 2018, UCLA now has 40 NCAA individual titles and 7 team titles:

Event Winner/Year
Team (7)UCLA 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2018
All Around (5)Onnie Willis, 2001; Jamie Dantzscher, 2002; Tasha Schwikert, 2005; Tasha Schwikert, 2008; Sam Peszek, 2015
Vault (7)Jill Andrews, 1988; Kim Hamilton, 1989; Heidi Moneymaker, 1999; Jamie Dantzscher, 2002; Kristen Maloney, 2005; Vanessa Zamarripa, 2010; Kyla Ross, 2019
Uneven Bars (7)Heidi Moneymaker, 1998; Mohini Bhardwaj, 2000; Yvonne Tousek, 2001; Jamie Dantzscher, 2003; Kate Richardson, 2003; Tasha Schwikert, 2008; Kyla Ross, 2017
Balance Beam (10)Jill Andrews, 1989; Kiralee Hayashi, 1999; Lena Degteva, 2000; Kate Richardson, 2003; Kristen Maloney, 2005; Sam Peszek, 2011; Sam Peszek, 2015; Danusia Francis, 2016; Kyla Ross, 2017; Peng Peng Lee, 2018
Floor Exercise (11)Kim Hamilton, 1987; Kim Hamilton, 1988; Kim Hamilton, 1989; Stella Umeh,1995; Stella Umeh, 1998; Mohini Bhardwaj, 2001; Jamie Dantzscher, 2002; Kate Richardson, 2006; Brittani McCullough, 2010; Katelyn Ohashi, 2018; Kyla Ross, 2019

Awards and honors

Honda Award Winners
AAI Award (National Senior of the Year)
  • Vanessa Zamarripa, 2013
  • Jamie Dantzscher, 2004
  • Mohini Bhardwaj, 2001
  • Donna Kemp, 1984
Pac-12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year
  • Madison Kocian, 2020
  • Christine Peng-Peng Lee, 2018
National Coach of the Year
  • Valorie Kondos Field, 2001, 2000, 1997, 1996, 1989
  • Jerry Tomlinson, 1989
National Asst. Coach of the Year
  • Chris Waller, 2004
  • Randy Lane, 2000

Men's gymnastics team

The Bruins men's gymnastics team won two NCAA national champions in 1984 and 1987. The program was discontinued during university budget cuts in 1995 despite a record of athletic and academic success.[25]

Notable alumni of UCLA men's gymnastics include:

  • Tim Daggett, 1984 Olympic gold medallist
  • Mitch Gaylord, 1984 NCAA all-around champion & Olympic gold medallist
  • Brian Ginsberg, two-time US junior national gymnastics champion
  • Scott Keswick, 1992 US Olympian and world rings and high bar finalist
  • Stephen McCain, 2000 US Olympian and 2001 world silver medallist
  • Chainey Umphrey, 1996 US olympian and world high bar finalist
  • Peter Vidmar, 1982, 1983 NCAA all-around champion & 1984 2x Olympic gold medallist
  • Chris Waller, 1990 NCAA high bar champion and current women's team head coach
  • Freddy Behin, 1995, 1996, 1997 Finalist USA National Championships, 1996 World Championship

See also

References

  1. "UCLA Athletics Brand Guidelines" (PDF). June 29, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  2. "2015 UCLA Gymnastics media guide" (PDF). UCLA Bruins Official Athletic Site. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. Peraza, Misael. "UCLA takes to Canadian talent". Daily Bruin. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  4. "1997 NCAA Championship". UCLA. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  5. "NC Women's Gymnastics Championship History | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  6. "UCLA Wins Pac-10 Gymnastics Championship". cstv.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  7. "2009 National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championships". huskers.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
  8. UCLA Gymnastics Wins Los Angeles Regional To Qualify For NCAA Championships Archived 2012-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, UCLABruins.com, April 10, 2010
  9. "2017: Kyla Ross - UCLA". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  10. "2017: Madison Kocian - UCLA". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  11. NCAA.com. "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns | NCAA.com". www.ncaa.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  12. "Standings". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  13. Gymnastics, UCLA (2020-01-31). "FINALLY! @gracekramer98 scores her first career perfect on floor!". @uclagymnastics. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  14. "Grace Glenn makes NCAA gymnastics history for UCLA in loss to Utah". Los Angeles Times. 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  15. "HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media". consent.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  16. "2020: Kyla Ross - UCLA". roadtonationals.com. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  17. "Kyla Ross scores first 10 on vault this season to lead UCLA past Cal". Daily News. 2020-03-09. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  18. balancebeamsituation (2019-12-03). "Most 10.0s in NCAA". The Balance Beam Situation. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
  19. "2021 Gymnastics Roster". UCLA. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  20. "UCLA Gymnastics Signs Three Standouts". UCLA Bruins. November 26, 2018.
  21. "Malabuyo, Padurariu Sign with UCLA Gymnastics". UCLA Bruins. December 18, 2019.
  22. "UCLA Signs Pair of Elite Gymnasts for 2022 Season". UCLA Bruins. November 12, 2020.
  23. Minehart, Emily (2018-09-01). "Recruiting Roundup: August 2018". College Gym News. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  24. "UCLA Commits". UCLA Gym Source. 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  25. Robbins, Danny. "Three Teams Go in UCLA Cutback". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
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