University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Official Athletic Site - Women's Gymnastics
February 03, 1998 | Gymnastics
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UCLA takes on Stanford, Michigan, Cornell.
Feb. 2, 1998
THIS WEEK -- Defending NCAA Champions UCLA (4-1) will host its annual UCLA Invitational this Saturday, February 7 at Pauley Pavilion at 7 pm. The Bruins will take on 13th-ranked Stanford (1-2), ninth-ranked Michigan (6-2) and Cornell (4-1) and are looking for their seventh consecutive and 12th overall UCLA Invitational win.
BRUINS ON TV -- Fox Sports West 2 will televise the UCLA Invitational on a delayed basis, Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 pm. Bill Macdonald and former UCLA gymnastics great Kim (Hamilton) Anthony will provide commentary.
UCLA INVITATIONAL HISTORY -- The UCLA Invitational annually showcases the nation's top collegiate talent. UCLA has won this invitational a record 10 times, including the last six in a row.
LAST YEAR'S INVITE -- UCLA won its sixth consecutive UCLA Invitational with a meet record team total of 195.15. LSU placed a distant second with a 192.725, followed by Cal and UCSB. UCLA senior Leah Homma won the all-around, tying her meet record with a 39.45. Homma also won the bars and beam, while fellow senior Amy Smith won the vault and floor titles.
THE CANADIAN CONNECTION -- Five of Canada's best will be performing at the UCLA Invitational this week. Representing our neighbors to the north are UCLA's Stella Umeh (1992 Olympian) and Lena Degteva (two-time all-around champion), Michigan's Lisa Simes (1995 World Championships competitor) and Karina Senior (1997 Canadian world trials competitor) and Stanford's Jennifer Exaltacion (1996 Olympian). Also competing in the Invitational is UCLA's Luisa Portocarrero, who trained in Canada while preparing for the 1992 Olympics, where she represented her native Guatemala.
A LOOK AT THE BRUINS -- Defending NCAA Champion UCLA is averaging a team score of 193.35 to rank seventh in the nation. The Valorie Kondos-led Bruins have benefited from strong, consistent performances from co-captains Stella Umeh, Kiralee Hayashi and Heidi Moneymaker. Umeh in particular has dazzled on the vault, averaging a 9.85 on a vault worth a 9.9. Hayashi has been UCLA's top all-arounder, averaging a 38.825, including a season-best 39.075 achieved in the Bruins' season opener. Moneymaker has been spectacular on bars, scoring a near perfect 9.975 in the Bruins' last meet at Arizona. On bars, she averages a 9.925 to rank second in the nation. Also impressive this season has been freshman Mohini Bhardwaj, who ranks in the Top 15 on vault, bars and floor, and junior Luisa Portocarerro, who has placed first on beam in UCLA's last two meets.
A LOOK AT MICHIGAN -- Consistently one of the nation's top programs, the ninth-ranked Wolverines currently hold a 6-2 record. Head coach Beverly Plocki has led her team to six consecutive Big Ten Championships and four consecutive NCAA Super Six appearances. Michigan placed fourth at last year's NCAA Championships after leading the field for two rotations. The Wolverines are led by All-Americans Sarah Cain, Nikki Peters, Kathy Burke, Beth Amelkovich and Heather Kabnick, who are no strangers to perfection. Between the five of them, they have recorded perfect 10.0 scores 20 times.
UCLA-MICHIGAN MATCHUP GUARANTEES BEST PERFORMANCES -- Competing against Michigan always seems to bring out the best in the Bruins. The Top 3 team scores in school history have come in meets in which Michigan competed. The highest (197.475) came at the 1996 NCAA Championships, where the Bruins took second place to Michigan's sixth. The next highest (197.15) was at last year's NCAA Championships, where UCLA and Michigan entered the final rotation tied with an opportunity to overtake leader Arizona State. The Bruins not only outscored Michigan, but they outscored ASU to win the NCAA title. Michigan finished in fourth place. The third highest team score (196.925) also came in 1997, when the Bruins took first place at the Magical Classic in Florida with a convincing 2.7 point win over the Wolverines.
A LOOK AT STANFORD -- The Cardinal return every member of last year's squad which placed second at last year's Pac-10 Championships and rewrote the Stanford record books. Leading the way for the 13th-ranked Cardinal are all-conference performers Keri Monahan and Amy Murakami and All-American Larissa Fontaine.
COOK RETURNS TO UCLA -- UCLA will be reunited with former assistant coach Mark Cook, now the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. Cook was UCLA's top assistant from 1995-1997 and helped lead UCLA to the 1997 NCAA Championship. He heads a Stanford team that returns its whole 1997 lineup which placed a close second to UCLA at last year's Pac-10 Championships.
A LOOK AT CORNELL -- Head coach Paul Beckwith returns 14 letterwinners from last year's team which set team records in every event. Leading the Big Red are freshman Sonya Negriff, who two weeks ago set Cornell records in the all-around (37.65) and on floor (9.55), and sophomore Alison Sheets (season-best 36.6 in the all-around).
STELLA UMEH -- Senior co-captain Stella Umeh had a solid meet against Georgia in the season opener, scoring a 39.0 in the all-around despite a fall on beam. Umeh's high score was attributed to spectacular performances on vault (career-high 9.875 on a vault worth a 9.9), bars (9.85) and floor (9.925). Umeh averages over a 9.8 on vault (9.85 on a vault worth a 9.9, ranked third nationally), bars (9.838, ninth-ranked) and floor (9.925, second-ranked). 1998 Highs: V-9.875, UB-9.85, BB-9.35, FX-9.925, AA-39.0
KIRALEE HAYASHI -- Junior team co-captain Kiralee Hayashi has been UCLA's top all-arounder so far this season, scoring UCLA's top all-around mark in both meets in which she has competed. Against Georgia, Hayashi placed second with an all-around score of 39.075. In the Bruins' home opener against ASU, Denver and UCSB, she placed first in the all-around (38.575) and beam (tied with a 9.825), second on floor (9.8) and third on vault (9.7). Hayashi ranks ninth nationally in the all-around (38.825 average) and beam (9.775 average). 1998 Highs: V-9.75, UB-9.85, BB-9.825, FX-9.8, AA-39.075
HEIDI MONEYMAKER -- Sophomore team co-captain Heidi Moneymaker has enjoyed a strong opening to the 1998 season. She has established herself as UCLA's best bars performer, as evidenced by her 9.925 average and near-perfect score of 9.975 two weeks ago at Arizona. She has placed first on bars in UCLA's last two meets. On floor, she scored a career-high 9.925 at Georgia.1998 Highs: V-9.775, UB-9.975, BB-9.675, FX-9.925, AA-38.95
LUISA PORTOCARRERO -- 1992 Olympian and two-time World Championships competitor Luisa Portocarrero is back in her 1996 form that saw her earn first-team All-American honors on the balance beam. In the Bruins' three meets this year, she is averaging a 9.758 and has placed first on beam in UCLA's last two meets. Portocarrero has also broken into the bars lineup, scoring a season-best 9.7 in the Bruins' home opener. 1998 Highs: UB- 9.7, BB-9.825
MOHINI BHARDWAJ -- Freshman Mohini Bhardwaj has impressed in her first collegiate season. In her collegiate debut at Georgia Jan. 9, she scored a pair of 9.875s on bars and floor. Bhardwaj took first place honors in the Bruins' season opener on the vault (9.8) and floor (9.825) and placed second on bars (9.85) and in the all-around (38.325). She has placed first on vault in UCLA's last two meets. Bhardwaj performs some of the most difficult skills in the nation, including a laid-out Yurchenko one-and-a-half vault, worth a 10.0, and a full-twisting double layout dismount on bars. 1998 Highs: V-9.825, UB-9.875, BB-9.75, FX-9.875, AA-38.325
LENA DEGTEVA -- Two-time Canadian national champion Lena Degteva has turned in solid performances in 1998. The sophomore All-American won the floor exercise at Arizona two weeks ago with a career-high 9.925 and placed second on beam with a 9.75. 1998 Highs: V-9.725, UB-9.775, BB-9.75, FX-9.925, AA-37.55
ANDREA FONG -- Senior walk-on Andrea Fong provided the Bruins' highlight thus far in the 1998 season when she competed all-around for the first time in her collegiate career two weeks ago at Arizona. Fong finished in third place with a score of 37.5 and hit career highs on bars (9.65) and beam (9.35). Fong hit her routine on beam (her first ever in collegiate competition) despite injuring her ankle on the previous rotation. She has competed on vault and floor in all three of UCLA's meets. 1998 Highs: V-9.625, UB-9.65, BB-9.35, FX-9.65, AA-37.5
ALEXIS NORMAN -- The freshman from Fairfax, Virginia made her UCLA debut Jan. 18 in the Bruins' home opener and dazzled the crowd with a dramatic floor exercise worth a season-best 9.55. Norman performs her floor exercise routine to music composed by Tony Lasley, Lee Coltman and UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos and used by three-time NCAA floor exercise champion Kim Hamilton to win the 1989 NCAA floor exercise title. Hamilton will be announcing this week's meet for Fox Sports West 2. 1998 Highs: BB-8.9, FX-9.55
LISA HILEY -- Junior walk-on Lisa Hiley has been UCLA's steady on bars, averaging a 9.65 in the leadoff spot. She has also broken into the vault rotation in the last two meets, with a high of 9.3 set two weeks ago. 1998 Highs: V-9.3, UB-9.7.
CARMEN TAUSEND -- Back in competitive shape after a long off-season layoff, Tausend made her 1998 debut two weeks ago at Arizona and competed on vault, bars and floor. The senior from Lake Oswego, Ore. scored a career-high 9.75 on the bars to place fourth. 1998 Highs: V-9.225, UB-9.75, FX-8.425
HEAD COACH VALORIE KONDOS -- Now in her eighth year as head coach, Valorie Kondos has solidified UCLA Gymnastics as one of the top collegiate programs. In the process, Kondos has established herself as one of the top gymnastics coaches in the nation, earning National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC) Coach of the Year honors in 1997 and 1996. Under her guidance, the 1997 Bruins won the first ever NCAA title in UCLA Gymnastics history. In her 15 years of coaching (eight as an assistant coach), she has guided 24 athletes to 74 All-American honors.
UCLA TO HOST 1998 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS -- UCLA will get a chance to defend its 1997 NCAA title when it hosts the 1998 NCAA Championships April 16-18 in Pauley Pavilion. All-session tickets are priced from $14-$30. Single-session tickets range in price from $6-10. Tickets are available now at UCLA's Central Ticket Office by calling 310/UCLA-WIN.
BRUINS TO HOST 1998 PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS -- UCLA will also defend its 1997 Pac-10 title at home when it hosts the 1998 Pac-10 Championships Sat., Mar. 21 at 6 pm in Pauley Pavilion.
Athlete Updates
In the Rankings
(Rankings from Jan. 27, by total season average)
Team
1. Georgia 196.337
7. UCLA 193.35
9. Michigan 192.762
13. Stanford 191.737
Team Vault
1. Georgia 49.106
5. Michigan 48.569
7. Stanford 48.437
9. UCLA 48.358
Team Bars
1. Georgia 49.431
3. UCLA 48.642
4t. Stanford 48.575
8. Michigan 48.281
Team Beam
1. Georgia 48.619
14. Michigan 47.869
18. UCLA 47.583
Team Floor
1. Georgia 49.181
5. UCLA 48.775
15. Stanford 48.187
16. Michigan 48.044
All-Around
1. Karin Lichey, UGA 39.512
6. Stella Umeh, UCLA 39.000
9. Kiralee Hayashi, UCLA 38.825
21. Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 38.587
23. Amy Murakami, Stan 38.562
25. Bridget Knaeble, Mich. 38.525
Vault
1. Karin Lichey, UGA 9.919
3. Stella Umeh, UCLA 9.850
6. Heather Kabnick, Mich. 9.825
12t. Mohini Bhardwaj, UCLA 9.783
14t. Keri Monahan, Stan. 9.775
Bars
1. Karin Lichey, UGA 9.981
2. Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 9.925
3. Nikki Peters, Mich. 9.908
6. Amy Murakami, Stan. 9.875
7. Mohini Bhardwaj, UCLA 9.862
9. Stella Umeh, UCLA 9.837
17t. Bridget Knaeble, Mich. 9.800
Beam
1. Kim Arnold, UGA 9.900
9. Kiralee Hayashi, UCLA 9.775
13t. Luisa Portocarrero, UCLA 9.758
13t. Heather Kabnick, Mich. 9.758
Floor
1. Karin Lichey, UGA 9.962
2. Stella Umeh, UCLA 9.925
5t. Mohini Bhardwaj, UCLA 9.850
5t. Mindy Knaeble, Mich. 9.850
17t. Lena Degteva, UCLA 9.817
19t. Amy Murakami, Stan. 9.812
