April 24, 1999

SALT LAKE CITY -Senior Kiralee Hayashi (Kailua, HI) and junior Heidi Moneymaker (Santa Rosa, CA) each won NCAA Gymnastics individual event titles. Hayashi won her first NCAA title, capturing the balance beam crown along with Alabama's Andree Pickens and Utah's Theresa Kulikowski, and Moneymaker added a vault title to her 1998 bars crown.

Hayashi scored a 9.9 on beam to become just UCLA's second-ever beam champion, joining 1989 champion Jill Andrews.

"It feels exciting and fulfilling to win a national title," Hayashi said. "It's not the same as winning the championship as a team, but it's nice to show what the team could do as individuals."

Moneymaker, who was competing on two sprained ankles, was one of just two gymnasts to compete two 10.0 vaults. She scored a 9.85 on a handspring front pike with a half twist and a 9.875 on a Phelps, which she had never competed prior to tonight and had only learned a week ago, for an average of 9.8625. Moneymaker becomes UCLA's third vault champion, joining Jill Andrews (1988) and Kim Hamilton (1989).

"I think I did the best I could," Moneymaker said. "My body is exhausted. Doing the all-around for three days was a lot to ask for, but I'm very proud of myself for doing two good vaults. I felt I represented my team well."

Also earning awards were senior Luisa Portocarrero, who placed sixth on vault, and junior Lena Degteva, who placed fourth on bars with a 9.9. Portocarrero scored a 9.7 on a 9.8-valued Yurchenko layout and a 9.85 on a laid-out Yurchenko Arabian for a 9.775 average. Hayashi added more hardware to her stash by tying for fourth on floor with a 9.85.

UCLA now has 11 NCAA individual titles, fourth most amongst Division I schools.