February 1, 1999

THIS WEEK - The ninth-ranked UCLA women's gymnastics team (6-2) will face 10th- ranked Stanford (3-1) and seventh-ranked Penn State (5-0) at Stanford's Maples Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 pm.

BATTLE OF THE BRUINS - For the second consecutive week, a former Bruin will be UCLA's opponent. Last week it was UCSB head coach Megan Fenton, who own the UCLA bars record with a 10.0. This week, it is former UCLA assistant coach Mark Cook (1995-97), now in his second year as head coach of Stanford. While at UCLA, Cook was named the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 1996 and helped lead UCLA to its first-ever NCAA title in 1997. In his first year leading the Cardinal, Cook led his team to its first-ever Pac-10 Championship. The 1999 Cardinal had a strong outing last weekend, defeating Oregon State 195.35-193.375 behind a school-record bars set of 49.475. Amy Murakami tied her own school record with a 9.975 on bars.

BRUINS HOPE TO AVENGE PENN STATE LOSS - UCLA will get another chance to upend Penn State, whom the Bruins lost to earlier in January by three-tenths of a point, 193.825-193.525. Penn State on the road has not been as strong as at home. The Lady Lions average 195.2 at home but scored just 191.525 in their one away meet this season. Last weekend versus Florida, senior Missy Leopoldus scored her first-ever 10.0 on beam, and Ellen Casey scored a career-high 39.575 in the all-around to lead Penn State to a school record team total of 196.75.

THE SERIES - UCLA leads the series vs. Stanford 27-2. The two teams met three times last season, with UCLA coming out ahead at the UCLA Invitational and NCAA West Regionals, and Stanford winning the Pac-10 Championships. The Bruins also lead Penn State in the overall series, 5-2.

BRUINS RALLY ON FLOOR TO WIN QUAD MEET - Trailing Washington by .375 going into the final rotation last Sunday, UCLA needed a big score on floor to pull out the victory. What resulted was a meet-high 48.725 and three scores of 9.825 or higher, which led to a nearly full-point victory over the Huskies, third-place Maryland and fourth-place UC Santa Barbara.

MONEYMAKER EARNS HER PAY - Junior All-American Heidi Moneymaker (Santa Rosa, CA) showed her worth with a dominating performance last weekend. Moneymaker won the all-around with a season-high and team season-best 39.25. She also won the vault with a season-high 9.85, the bars with a season-high 9.875 and the beam with a 9.7. The only event she did not win was the floor, where she placed second with a 9.825. This follows her performance the week before at Oregon State, where she claimed first place honors and then-season-best scores on vault, bars and floor. Moneymaker, the defending NCAA bars champion, has now won that event in her last three consecutive meets.

FRESHMEN SHOW VETERAN COMPOSURE - The Bruin freshmen pulled through like seasoned veterans, particularly on beam and floor. Valerie Velasco (Fullerton, CA) and Kaitie Dyson (Conroe, TX) started the Bruins off on beam with a pair of 9.675, which were good enough for second place and which proved all the more important when three veteran teammates fell. The freshmen showed nice, clean routines on floor, with Lindsey Dong (San Jose, CA) scoring a 9.425, Dyson a 9.55 in her first-ever floor routine, and Velasco a 9.675.

STONER ROCKS ON FLOOR - Freshman Alison Stoner (Laguna Hills, CA) has become UCLA's latest deadly weapon on the Bruins' already loaded arsenal on floor. Stoner won her first-ever competition on floor last weekend, scoring a career- high 9.85 to defeat such powerhouses as Washington's Lanna Apisukh, who ranks seventh nationally, and teammates Heidi Moneymaker and Lena Degteva, who each have career-highs of 9.925. Stoner has competed on floor in all five of the Bruins' meets this season and averages a 9.67.

UCLA IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS - In last week's national rankings (Jan. 26, by season average), UCLA ranked ninth for team average (193.187), eighth on vault (48.569), fourth on bars (48.544), 12th on beam (48.094) and 24th on floor (47.981).

Individually, Kiralee Hayashi is the Bruins' top all-arounder at 17th (38.825). Lena Degteva ranks 20th with an average of 38.775. Injured freshman Mohini Bhardwaj, who is out with torn ligaments in her elbow, still ranks first on vault with a 9.9 average. Heidi Moneymaker ranks 19th (9.781). Degteva ranks 24th on bars (9.794), and Hayashi 18th on floor (9.817).

UCLA IN THE PAC-10 - The Bruins have the third (194.575), seventh (193.525) and eighth-best (193.5) team scores in the Pac-10 so far this season as well as some of the top individual scores. Heidi Moneymaker (39.25), Lena Degteva (39.225) and Kiralee Hayashi (39.1) hold the top three all-around scores in the conference. Mohini Bhardwaj has the top vault score (9.95), followed by Degteva in third place (9.9) and Moneymaker and Hayashi in fourth place (9.85). On bars, Moneymaker ranks third with a 9.875. Degteva is tied for sixth with a 9.85. Moneymaker and Valerie Velasco rank sixth on beam (9.85). Hayashi and Moneymaker rank fifth on floor (9.875), and Degteva, Bhardwaj and Alison Stoner rank tenth (9.85).

BRUINS ON TV - Fox Sports West2 has added the February 20 UCLA Invitational to its lineup. The meet will be aired delayed on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 6:00 pm. UCLA will face Arizona, Cal State Fullerton and 1998 NCAA Championships runner-up Florida.

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.