UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics

UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics
Founded	1974 (1974)
University	University of California, Los Angeles
Head coach	Valorie Kondos Field (27th season)
Conference	Pac-12
Location	Los Angeles, California
Home arena	Pauley Pavilion (Capacity: 13,800)
Nickname	Bruins
Colors	Blue and Gold[1]
National championships
7 (1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2018) NCAA Championships
NCAA Regional championships
22 (1982, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2017, 2018) Regional Champions
Conference championships
19 (2018, 2016, 2012, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1993, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1987, 1981[WCAA]) Pac-12 Championships

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

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 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 now is a volunteer assistant coach for UCLA, Kyla Ross, and Madison Kocian.

UCLA also fielded a men's gymnastics team until 1994, when it was discontinued due to budget cuts.

Highlights

• 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.^[4]
• 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.^[5]
• 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.^[6] 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.
• 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.

Head coaches

record includes invitationals and conference championships as of 2014.

Current roster (2018)

• Head Coach: Valorie Kondos Field
• Associate Head Coach: Chris Waller
• Assistant Coach: Randy Lane
• Volunteer Assistant Coach: Jordyn Wieber
• Undergraduate Assistant Coach: Hallie Mossett

^[8]

Gymnasts who have committed to attend UCLA in the future:^[9]

• 2018–19
  • Norah Flatley – Junior US National Team member,trains under Liang Chow at Chow's Institute of Gymnastics and Dance. 3rd AA and 2nd UB at the 2014 P&G Championships(Junior Division), 2nd BB and 5th AA at the 2013 P&G Championships (Junior Division).^[10]
  • Margzetta Frazier – 2017 Senior US National Team Member, trains at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center under Bill and Donna Strauss. 5th AA at the 2017 USA Gymnastics National Championships.^[11]
  • Sekai Wright – trains at AGA, Level 10.

NCAA Championships

Banners honoring the NCAA national championships won by UCLA.

With the titles in 2018, UCLA now has 38 NCAA individual titles and 7 team titles:

Awards and honors

Honda Award Winners

• Christine Peng-Peng Lee, 2018
• Kristen Maloney, 2005
• Onnie Willis, 2003
• Mohini Bhardwaj, 2001
• Jill Andrews, 1990
• Sharon Shapiro, 1981

AAI Award (National Senior of the Year)

• Vanessa Zamarripa, 2013
• Jamie Dantzscher, 2004
• Mohini Bhardwaj, 2001
• Donna Kemp, 1984

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.^[12]

Notable alumni of UCLA men's gymnastics include:

• Tim Daggett, 1984 Olympic gold medallist
• Mitch Gaylord, 1984 NCAA all-around champion & Olympic gold medallist
• Scott Keswick, 1992 US Olympian
• Stephen McCain, 2000 US Olympian
• Peter Vidmar, 1982, 1983 NCAA all-around champion & 1984 Olympic gold medallist
• Chris Waller, 1990 NCAA high bar champion and current women's team assistant coach
• Freddy Behin, 1995, 1996, 1997 Finalist USA National Championships, 1996 World Championship

References

External links

• Official website