Postgame Quotes: UCLA 1, Maryland 4 (Los Angeles Regional Game Four)Postgame Quotes: UCLA 1, Maryland 4 (Los Angeles Regional Game Four)

Women's Gymnastics Faces Defending NCAA Champion Georgia

Gymnastics

LOS ANGELES - UCLA and Georgia will face each other in a battle of the last two NCAA women's gymnastics champions on Sunday, January 10 at 6:00 pm in Pauley Pavilion for UCLA's 1999 home opener. T

December 29, 1998

LOS ANGELES - UCLA and Georgia will face each other in a battle of the last two NCAA women's gymnastics champions on Sunday, January 10 at 6:00 pm in Pauley Pavilion for UCLA's 1999 home opener.

The Bruins, coached by 1996 and 1997 NACGC Coach of the Year Valorie Kondos, won UCLA's first-ever NCAA title in 1997. UCLA is led by 1998 NCAA Uneven Bars Champion Heidi Moneymaker (Santa Rosa, CA) and first-team All-Americans Mohini Bhardwaj (Cincinnati, OH), Lena Degteva (Mississauga, Ontario), Kiralee Hayashi (Kailua, HI) and Luisa Portocarrero (Guatemala City, Guatemala). At last year's NCAA Championships, in which UCLA placed fifth, six Bruins earned a school record 15 All-American honors.

The Georgia Gym Dogs, coached by 1998 NACGC Coach of the Year Suzanne Yoculan, had a dream season last year, going undefeated (35-0) and winning the school's fourth NCAA title. In addition, Georgia gymnasts won four NCAA titles and picked up 18 All-American honors. The 1999 Gym Dogs have two returning NCAA Champions in Karin Lichey (co-champion on floor) and Jenni Beathard (co-champion on beam).

UCLA and Georgia, annually considered among the finest teams in the nation, are the only two teams who have advanced to the NCAA Super Six Team Finals every year since its inception in 1993.

"We're excited about opening at home against the national champions," said Kondos. "And I think it's rather interesting that two years ago, we hosted Georgia in our home opener and won the national championship that year. Last year, they hosted us in their home opener, and they won the national championship. So, guess what . it's back home."

The Bruins' 1999 season will officially begin on Friday, January 8 at Cal State Fullerton. The meet will take place at Fullerton's Titan Gym at 7:30 pm.

Tickets for the meet are available at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. Reserved-section season tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for youth. Individual meet tickets in the general admission-section only cost $8 for adults and $6 for youth. For ticket information, please call: 310/UCLA-WIN.