February 15, 1999
THIS WEEK - The 11th-ranked UCLA women's gymnastics team (7-4) will face Arizona (4-3), Cal State Fullerton (1-5) and 1998 NCAA runner-up Florida (2-4, ranked 13th nationally) in the 22nd Annual UCLA Invitational Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 pm in Pauley Pavilion.
WATCH THE BRUINS ON TV - Fox Sports West2 will televise the meet on a delayed basis Sunday, February 21 at 6:00 pm.
"WATCH" THE BRUINS ON THE INTERNET - UCLA will post meet results from the UCLA Invitational live on the internet at www.uclabruins.com. Results will be updated after each rotation.
UCLA SEEKS EIGHTH STRAIGHT INVITE TITLE - The Bruins have won the UCLA Invitational a record 12 times, including the last seven in a row. UCLA athletes have also dominated the individual titles, winning the all-around in nine of the last 12 years.
LAST YEAR'S INVITE - UCLA won its seventh consecutive team title with a meet record score of 195.4. That record score was helped by another record, a school record 49.525 on floor. The Bruins swept the all-around, with Stella Umeh (39.4) placing first, followed by Heidi Moneymaker (career-high 39.375) and Kiralee Hayashi (38.9). Bruin gymnasts also won the bars (Moneymaker), beam (Hayashi) and floor (Umeh).
TWO DEFENDING NCAA CHAMPS RETURN TO PAULEY - Two gymnasts return to the scene of their crowning achievement. At the 1998 NCAA Championships, which were held at Pauley Pavilion last April, UCLA's Heidi Moneymaker and Florida's Betsy Hamm won NCAA individual championships on bars and beam, respectively. Arizona's Heidi Hornbeek also won an NCAA title, winning on floor in 1996 as a freshman. One other NCAA champion was to return, but Florida's Susan Hines, the two-time defending vault champion, tore her ACL in a dual meet with Georgia Jan. 22 and is out for the season.
ELEVEN ALL-AMERICANS TO COMPETE - Some of the nation's finest are scheduled to compete in the Invitational, including 11 All-Americans. UCLA has six All-Americans (Mohini Bhardwaj, Lena Degteva, Susie Erickson, Kiralee Hayashi, Heidi Moneymaker and Luisa Portocarrero), Arizona three (Heidi Hornbeek, Maureen Kealey and Kristin McDermott) and Florida two (Betsy Hamm and Chrissy Van Fleet). Florida has two other All-Americans on its roster who are out for this meet - Susan Hines (injury) and Jaime Graziano (suspension, will return Jan. 22 at Utah).
FORMER NATIONAL TEAM MEMBERS BATTLE - The Invitational will also be a "Who's Who" of former and current national team members. UCLA boasts U.S. National Team members Mohini Bhardwaj (1992-98) and Kaitie Dyson (1995-98), as well as former Canadian national team member Lena Degteva and 1992 Olympian Luisa Portocarrero (Guatemala). Arizona has three former U.S. members in Kara Fry (1993-95), Heidi Hornbeek (1990-93) and Kristin McDermott (1990-95). Florida is home to former British national team member Gabby Fuchs, as well as the only collegiate athlete on the current U.S. National Team, Betsy Hamm.
WALKING WOUNDED RETURN - Injured gymnasts will return to the mat this weekend. UCLA sophomore All-American Mohini Bhardwaj is scheduled to compete on beam for the first time since Jan. 10. Bhardwaj missed UCLA's last five meets after tearing ligaments in her elbow during warm-ups at the Jan. 16 meet at Penn State. Also expected back for UCLA is freshman Alison Stoner, who missed last week's meet at Arizona State with an injury. She should return to compete on floor at the Invitational. Florida's Betsy Hamm, who had been limited to bars most of the season after undergoing ankle surgery, returned to the all-around lineup for the first time in 1999 at the Gators' last meet and is slated to do the same at the Invitational. Arizona's Heidi Hornbeek and Maureen Kealey return after sitting out all of last season with injuries. Hornbeek was given a 50% chance for a full recovery from major shoulder surgery but has returned to the all-around lineup and has recorded a season and team-best 9.9 on vault. Kealey, who broke her tibia in a meet last year, has returned to post Arizona's top score on bars this season, a 9.875.
A LOOK AT UCLA - The Bruins, coached by two-time National Coach of the Year Valorie Kondos, take a team average of 193.343 into the meet. Injuries have hurt UCLA in the early-going. The Bruins lost freshman Amy Young prior to the season with an ACL tear, sophomore all-arounder Mohini Bhardwaj for five meets with an elbow injury and senior Susie Erickson for four meets on beam with an ankle injury. However, UCLA is on the healing track. Bhardwaj is expected to compete on beam this week, and Erickson returned to her usual leadoff spot in the beam lineup last week and hit her 16th consecutive beam routine for a 9.7. With the injuries, the Bruins have had to rely heavily on four all-arounders who have been more than impressive - Heidi Moneymaker, who has won a team-high 12 event titles this year and has a season-best all-around score of 39.25; Kiralee Hayashi, last week's Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week who has been averaging a 9.7 or better on vault, bars and floor; Lena Degteva, the defending Pac-10 vault champion who averages a 9.775 on vault and has competed 27 of 28 possible routines; and freshman Valerie Velasco, who last week posted a career-high 38.85 with career-highs on vault (9.7) and floor (9.75).
A LOOK AT FLORIDA - The Gators, coached by Judi Markell, placed second at last year's NCAA Championships but have struggled a bit this season due to injuries. Florida has lost its last three meets (all to Top 6 teams) but scored a season-high 195.225 in its last meet vs. then-No. 1 Alabama. Six-time All-American Chrissy Van Fleet leads the Gators. She has won three all-around titles this year, including the last meet, where she scored a season-best 39.4 that included a career-high 9.925 on floor. The Gators showcase some eye-popping moves, including a toe-on front-recatch release move on bars by freshman Lisa Geckle and a flip flop/flip flop/layout all on two feet on beam by freshman Hilary Thompson. In addition, Hamm at last year's NCAAs became the first collegiate gymnast to perform on beam a flip flop/layout stepout with a full twist.
A LOOK AT ARIZONA - The Wildcats are coached by former Wildcat assistant Bill Ryden in his first year as head coach. Ryden returns 12 gymnasts and adds four freshmen to a team that finished 1998 ranked 14th nationally. Last week, the Wildcats nearly pulled off an upset vs. No. 3 Utah but fell short, 193.625-193.25. Arizona's team total was a season-high, as were its team scores on vault (48.4), bars (48.575) and floor (49.15). The Wildcats have defeated two teams currently ranked in the Top 15 - No. 10 Nebraska and No. 15 Oregon State - as well as Invitational opponent Cal State Fullerton. Heidi Hornbeek has won the vault in her last two competitions and in three overall this year.
A LOOK AT FULLERTON - The Titans, coached by Lynn Rogers and Julie Knight, achieved their only victory of the season Feb. 5 vs. UC Davis. In that meet Fullerton scored a season-best 190.925. Freshman Megan Berry won the all-around with a 38.75, and Marianne Griffen won the beam with a 9.825. The Titans have been hit hard with injuries to junior Gracie Millard and freshman Katie Antolin. The entire Titan senior class (Cortney Bogart and Katy Maty) is out for the season with injuries.
BRUINS FALL TO ASU - UCLA scored its second-best team total of the season, but its 194.4 was not enough to overtake host Arizona State's 196.325. The Sun Devils tallied a school-record 49.55 on beam to reach their mark. The Bruins scored their highest score on any event this season with a 49.05 on floor.
SHOW ME THE MONEY - Junior All-American Heidi Moneymaker (Santa Rosa, CA) showed her worth by winning her fourth-straight vault title (season-high 9.9) and her fourth bars win of the year (season-high 9.95). She has now won a team-best 12 individual titles this year. Moneymaker has scored season-highs each time during her win streak on vault and now averages 9.821 for the season. On floor, Moneymaker has been equally impressive, placing in the Top 5 in her last four meets. At ASU, she placed fifth with a 9.85.
VELASCO SHOWS BIG IMPROVEMENT - Freshman Valerie Velasco (Fullerton, CA/Rosary HS) improved upon her previous all-around career-high (formerly 37.975) by nearly a full point, scoring a new career-high of 38.85 to place fourth at ASU. Velasco recorded career-highs on vault (9.7) and floor (9.75) and had UCLA's best finish on beam, a 9.8 to place sixth. The Bruin walk-on has two second-place finishes on beam this season.
HAYASHI LAST WEEK'S PAC-10 GYMNAST OF THE WEEK - Senior Kiralee Hayashi (Kailua, HI) earned her first-ever Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week honors last week for her performance at Stanford Feb. 5. Hayashi won the all-around with a season-best 39.15 and the floor exercise with a season-high 9.9. She also tied her career-high on bars with a 9.9 to tie for second and tied for third on vault with a 9.75. The honor was the first for a Bruin gymnast this season.
UCLA IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS - In last week's national rankings (Feb. 9, by season average), UCLA ranked 11th for team average (193.167), 10th on vault (48.504), seventh on bars (48.462), 14th on beam (48.021) and 25th on floor (48.179).
Individually, Kiralee Hayashi is the Bruins' top all-arounder at 10th (38.933). She also ranks 10th on floor (9.837). Sophomore Mohini Bhardwaj ranks second on vault with a 9.9 average, followed by Heidi Moneymaker, who ranks 14th (9.808). New rankings will be available Wednesday, Feb. 17. Moneymaker is expected to move up on vault, as is Hayashi on floor. Lena Degteva, with her 9.775 average on vault, could break into the Top 25 as well.
BRUINS SIGN GREATEST RECRUITING CLASS IN HISTORY - UCLA has signed what is considered to be the greatest recruiting class in the history of the sport. Four current or past national champions highlight head coach Valorie Kondos' recruiting class of 1999-2000.
Signing with UCLA in November were current U.S. national all-around champion Kristen Maloney (Allentown, PA/Parkettes); 1997 Canadian national all-around champion Sarah Deegan (Oshawa, Ontario/Gemini Gymnastics); 1995 USA balance beam national champion Doni Thompson (Olympia, WA/Black Hills Gymnastics); and 1998 Level 10 national all-around, vault and bars champion Onnie Willis (Tacoma, WA/Puget Sound Gymnastics).
Maloney will defer college until after the 2000 Olympics, as will another Bruin signee, Alyssa Beckerman (Middletown, NJ/Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy). Beckerman placed eighth in the all-around and beam, second on bars and seventh on floor at the 1998 USA National Championships.
Also signing with UCLA are three top Level 10 competitors, Malia Jones (Sparks, NV/Flips Gymnastics); Kristin Parker (Hanford, CA/Central California Gymnastics Institute); and Carly Raab (Seattle, WA/Cascade Elite Gymnastics).
Said Kondos, "I am so excited about this year's recruiting class. This is the greatest collection of student-athletes gymnastics has ever seen."
SILVER ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATED - The UCLA Athletic Department will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of UCLA Women's Intercollegiate Athletics on May 1, 1999. "A Celebration of Champions" dinner will honor the accomplishments of the UCLA Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Program and its athletes over the past 25 years.
UCLA Individual Career Highs
Gymnast V UB BB FX AA Bhardwaj 9.95 9.925 9.85 9.875 38.8 Degteva 9.925 9.925 9.95 9.925 39.4 Dong 9.625 9.475 Dyson 9.675 9.675 Erickson 9.8 9.85 9.6 Hayashi 9.9 9.9 9.9 9.925 39.4 Hiley 9.775 9.875 Johnson 9.625 Moneymaker 9.925 9.975 9.875 9.925 39.375 Portocarrero 9.55 9.85 9.9 9.725 Stoner 9.75 9.45 9.85 Velasco 9.7 9.675 9.85 9.75 38.85