Feb. 25, 1998

THIS WEEK -- Defending NCAA Champions UCLA (11-1, ranked No. 5) will face a strong challenge this Friday, Feb. 27 when it meets 13th-ranked Washington (7-3) in Seattle at Hec Edmundson Pavilion at 7 pm.

BRUINS LOOK TO REMAIN UNDEFEATED VS. UW -- UCLA will attempt to extend its unbeaten streak against Washington to 25 meetings. The Bruins' 24-0 record against the Huskies currently stands as their best record against any school.

UCLA IN THE RANKINGS -- In this week's rankings, seven Bruins account for a total of 14 placements in the indvidual Top 25 rankings (four events and all-around), the second-most amongst all schools. Only Georgia has more, with nine athletes totaling 19 spots in the Top 25. In team rankings, UCLA ranks fifth overall, fourth on floor and bars and ninth on beam and vault.

A LOOK AT THE HUSKIES -- No. 13 Washington had a breakthrough year in 1997, placing eighth at the NCAA Championships and second to UCLA at the West Regionals. Individually, head coach Bob Levesque was named the Pac-10 and West Regional Coach of the Year, and four Huskies earned All-American acclaim. All four of those gymnasts return in 1998 -- Klara Kudilkova, Lauren Reisenman, Tiffany Simpson and Jamie Stauffer. Washington had its best meet of the season last Friday, scoring a season-best 195.225 in a loss to second-ranked Utah. Kudilkova, this week's Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week, won the all-around with a career-high 39.625.

UCLA WINS BRUIN CLASSIC -- The Bruins won all four events en route to winning the Bruin Classic Sunday with a score of 194.55. Eleventh-ranked Oregon State was second with a 193.55, followed by seventh-ranked Penn State (190.8) and Cal State Fullerton (189.275). The win was UCLA's fifth consecutive meet victory. The Bruins have defeated 11 teams without a loss since their season-opening loss to Georgia.

DEGTEVA WINS FIRST ALL-AROUND OF 1998 -- Sophomore Lena Degteva won the all-around at the Bruin Classic with a meet record 39.15. The win was Degteva's first of the season and just the second in her collegiate career. Degteva, a former two-time Canadian national champion, recorded a season-high 9.85 on the beam.

QUICK STUDY HILEY HITS CAREER HIGH ON VAULT -- Junior walk-on Lisa Hiley performed the best vault of her career, scoring a career-high 9.775 to place second, the highest placement she has ever reached on any event. For just the second-time ever in competition, Hiley performed a pike front with a half-twist, one of the most difficult vaults being done in collegiate gymnastics and valued at a 10.0. Hiley is a relative newcomer to the sport of gymnastics, having started competition just five years ago.

MONEYMAKER "CASH" TO BRUINS ON BARS -- Sophomore team co-captain Heidi Moneymaker has been cash to UCLA on her best event, bars. The second-ranked bars worker in the nation has placed first on that event in UCLA's last five meets and is averaging a 9.06. Moneymaker performs some of the most difficult skills in the nation, including a piked Jaeger and a double layout dismount..

BHARDWAJ TO RETURN TO BARS LINEUP -- After missing three meets due to an injured ankle, freshman sensation Mohini Bhardwaj will return to the lineup, competing on bars this weekend.

ATHLETE UPDATES STELLA UMEH -- Stella Umeh has been more than stellar in 1998, averaging a 39.1 in three all-around performances, with a season-high of 39.4 set at the UCLA Invitational. That all-around performance earned her Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week honors. Umeh, the second-ranked NCAA floor exercise performer, tied her career-high and Pauley Pavilion record with a 9.95 on the floor exercise at the UCLA Invite and has scored no lower than a 9.85 on that event this year. Umeh set a season-high on beam to place first at Cal with a 9.9. On vault, she has a season-best score of 9.875 on a vault worth a 9.9. 1998 Highs: V-9.875, UB-9.875, BB-9.9, FX-9.95, AA-39.4

HEIDI MONEYMAKER -- Sophomore team co-captain Heidi Moneymaker has enjoyed a strong 1998 season. She has established herself as UCLA's best bars performer, as evidenced by her 9.9 average and near-perfect score of 9.975 at Arizona. She has placed first on bars in UCLA's last five meets. Moneymaker has scored career-highs of 9.925 on floor and 39.375 in the all-around in two of her last three meets. She is the 11th-ranked all-arounder in the nation, averaging a 39.005. In front of a hometown crowd at Cal, she placed first in the all-around, bars (career-high 9.85) and floor. 1998 Highs: V-9.775, UB-9.975, BB-9.85, FX-9.925, AA-39.375.

KIRALEE HAYASHI -- Junior team co-captain Kiralee Hayashi has one of UCLA's top all-arounders the last two seasons. Hayashi averages a 9.665 on the beam, with a season-high score of 9.825 set twice. In her five meets competing on beam, she has scored UCLA's highest score three times. The Hawaii native tied her career high on floor at the UCLA Invite with a 9.925. In all-around competition, she averages a 38.69 (24th-best in the nation), with a season-best 39.075 set in the season opener. 1998 Highs: V-9.8, UB-9.85, BB-9.825, FX-9.925, AA-39.075

LENA DEGTEVA -- The two-time Canadian national champion has been on fire in February. Last week at the Bruin Classic, she won the all-around for the first time since January of last year, scoring a 39.15. She also scored a season-high 9.85 on beam. At Cal two weeks ago, she scored a season-high 39.175 in the all-around while hitting season-bests on vault (9.75) and beam (9.825). She is averaging a 9.835 on floor. 1998 Highs: V-9.75, UB-9.825, BB-9.85, FX-9.925, AA-39.175

ANDREA FONG -- Senior walk-on Andrea Fong keeps providing head coach Valorie Kondos highlight after highlight. At Arizona, Fong thrilled the Bruins with her first-ever all-around competition. In that meet, Fong finished in third place with a score of 37.5 and hit career highs on bars (9.65) and beam (9.35). She had an even more impressive performance at the UCLA Invitational, scoring career highs on beam (9.625) and floor (9.8) and a season-high 9.7 on vault. At Cal, she one-upped both of those performances with a career-high 38.525 all-around mark that included a career-best 9.75 on the beam. 1998 Highs: V-9.7, UB-9.65, BB-9.75, FX-9.8, AA-38.525

MOHINI BHARDWAJ -- Freshman Mohini Bhardwaj has impressed in her first collegiate season. In her 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 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. Bhardwaj injured an ankle Feb. 5 and is expected to return to action this week. 1998 Highs: V-9.825, UB-9.875, BB-9.75, FX-9.875, AA-38.325

SUSIE ERICKSON -- Junior Susie Erickson has returned to action after suffering a broken foot prior to the season. UCLA's "Rock of Gibraltar" is the 23rd-ranked beam worker in the nation, averaging a 9.725. In her season debut at Cal, she scored a 9.65 on beam and led the Bruins to their best score of the season on that event (48.975). She scored a season-best 9.8 in the leadoff position at the Bruin Classic to tie for fourth. 1998 Highs: BB-9.8

LISA HILEY -- Junior walk-on Lisa Hiley has evolved into one of UCLA's best vaulters with her new vault, a pike front with a half twist, worth a 10.0. In her two meets competing that vault, she has scored a 9.6 vs. Cal and a career-high 9.775 to place second at the Bruin Classic, her highest placement ever on any event. On bars, Hiley averages a 9.53, with a season-best 9.7. 1998 Highs: V-9.775, UB-9.7.

ALEXIS NORMAN -- The freshman from Fairfax, Virginia has shown steady improvement meet after meet. She has competed on floor in UCLA's last five meets and scored a season-high 9.6 at Cal. 1998 Highs: BB-9.425, FX-9.6

CARMEN TAUSEND -- Back in competitive shape after a long off-season layoff, Tausend made her 1998 debut 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. Tausend, who has competed on bars in UCLA's last four meets, is averaging a 9.7 on that event. 1998 Highs: V-9.225, UB-9.75, FX-8.425

LUISA PORTOCARRERO -- 1992 Olympian and two-time World Championships competitor Luisa Portocarrero suffered a foot injury two weeks ago and will be out for about a month. In the Bruins' first three meets this year, she averaged a 9.758 and placed first on beam twice. Portocarrero had 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

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. Ticket prices are $10 for reserved seating and $5 for general admission seating. The meet will be televised on a delayed basis by Fox Sports Net to be aired Sunday, Mar. 29.

UCLA ON THE WEB -- Updated information on the UCLA gymnastics team and all of UCLA's athletic teams can be found on the World Wide Web at www.uclabruins.com. NCAA Championship tickets can also be purchased online at www.cto.ucla.edu/