University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Gymnasts Fifth at NCAA Championships
June 21, 1999 | Gymnastics
April 28, 1999
Despite losing a teammate to a serious knee injury during the first rotation of the Super Six Team Finals, UCLA stayed in contention for the NCAA team title up until the dreaded balance beam, which for the second consecutive season led to UCLA's downfall and fifth place finish.
Trailing Georgia by just .325 going into the Bruins' final event, UCLA received a huge lift from leadoff performer Susie Erickson, who scored a career-high 9.9. But her teammates could not capitalize.
Two others fell, while another touched the beam for a three-tenths deduction, and when the smoke cleared, the Bruins finished their competition trailing Alabama with no chance of winning the title. The Bruins could only sit and watch on a bye as three other teams passed them in the standings, including repeat champion Georgia.
MONEYMAKER WINS SECOND INDIVIDUAL TITLE:
Despite competing all-around for three straight days on two sprained ankles, junior Heidi Moneymaker (Santa Rosa, CA) won the second individual title of her career by taking the vault title with an average of 9.8625. Moneymaker, who won the bars title in 1998, hit a handspring front pike with a half-twist for a 9.85, then scored a 9.875 on a Phelps, which she had learned just a week before and had never competed.
Following the meet, she said, "I'm very proud of myself for doing two good vaults. I felt I represented my team well." Moneymaker became the first Bruin to qualify for all four event finals in an NCAA competition.
HAYASHI WINS FIRST INDIVIDUAL TITLE:
Just one day after falling off the beam in the Super Six competition, senior Kiralee Hayashi got sweet redemption by winning the beam title at the individual event finals. Hayashi's career-high tying 9.9 tied Utah's Theresa Kulikowski and Alabama's Andree Pickens for top honors.
"It feels very exciting and fulfilling," Hayashi said. "It's not the same as winning a championship title as a team, but it's nice to show what we could do as individuals."
Hayashi also placed fourth on floor and qualified for the vault finals.
FIVE BRUINS EARN RECORD 17 ALL-AMERICAN HONORS:
Mohini Bhardwaj, Lena Degteva, Kiralee Hayashi, Heidi Moneymaker and Luisa Portocarrero combined to earn 17 All-American honors at the 1998 Championships, the most ever in school history.
UCLA had 13 first-team All-America honors, the most amongst all teams at the Championships.
Bhardwaj, a sophomore from Cincinnati, OH, earned first-team honors on bars and second-team honors in the all-around.
Degteva, a junior from Mississauga, Ontario, earned first-team honors in the all-around (sixth place), vault and bars (fourth place) and earned second-team honors on floor.
Hayashi (Kailua, HI) came away with first-team honors on vault, beam and floor and second-team acclaim in the all-around.
Moneymaker, who placed third in the all-around with a 39.55, became the first UCLA gymnast to earn the maximum five first-team honors during an NCAA Championship.
Portocarrero earned her second All-America award, adding a first-team honor on vault to her 1996 honor on beam. Portocarrero placed sixth on vault at the event finals.
MONEYMAKER TO COMPETE AT WORLD U. GAMES:
At the ripe age of 21, Heidi Moneymaker will represent the U.S. for the first time in an international competition when she competes for the U.S. at the World University Games this summer.
Moneymaker qualified by virtue of her third-place finish at the NCAA Championships. The top two all-around finishers automatically qualify.
If they decline the invitation, the spot then goes to the next finisher. Since the champion Theresa Kulikowski already declined her invitation, Moneymaker was next in line for the bid. Her UCLA teammates Kiralee Hayashi and Mohini Bhardwaj will petition for a spot at the tryouts which will determine the remaining positions on the U.S. team.
SENIORS END CAREERS ON HIGH NOTE:
Despite not winning the 1999 team title, all four of UCLA's seniors ended their careers on a high note. Kiralee Hayashi won her first NCAA title on the balance beam and placed fourth on floor. Luisa Portocarrero placed sixth in the vault finals. Susie Erickson's last performance was an outstanding career-high 9.9 in the leadoff position on beam. And Lisa Hiley hit a career-high 9.85 on her last-ever vault.
STONER TEARS THREE KNEE LIGAMENTS:
Freshman Alison Stoner tore three ligaments in her knee while competing on the floor exercise at the Super Six Team Finals Apr. 23.
While landing on a double full during her middle tumbling pass, Stoner dislocated her right knee and tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). The injuries will require two surgeries, one of which will take place in May. The second surgery (reconstructive) will take place six weeks after.
MONEYMAKER NOMINATED FOR HONDA AWARD:
Heidi Moneymaker was selected as one of four finalists for the 1998-99 Honda Award. The Pac-10 and Regional all-around champion and the Region 1 Gymnast of the Year will hope to become just the third Bruin to win the Honda Award. Sharon Shapiro was UCLA's first in 1980-81, and Jill Andrews won the award in 1989-90.
HAYASHI FINALIST FOR AMERICAN AWARD:
Kiralee Hayashi was named a finalist for the AAI American Award, which is given to the outstanding women's gymnast who exemplifies excellence in academics, public service and athletics. Georgia's Jenni Beathard won the award. Other nominees were Susan Hines of Florida, Missy Leopoldus of Penn State, Tiffany Simpson of Washington and Gwen Spidle of Alabama.
UCLA STREAKS AND RECORDS:
* UCLA qualified for its eighth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships this season. It was UCLA's 16th appearance in the 18 NCAA Championships.
* The Bruins qualified for the NCAA Super Six for the seventh consecutive year. UCLA and Georgia remain the only two schools to compete in the Super Six every year since its inception in 1993.
* Two Bruins won individual event titles for the second consecutive season - Heidi Moneymaker won the vault, and Kiralee Hayashi won the beam.
* UCLA won the Pac-10 Championship for the eighth time in 13 years with a school record and Pac-10 Championship record total of 197.775. The Bruins also scored a school-record 49.6 on the floor exercise in the meet.
* A Bruin gymnast was named the Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year for the third consecutive year and fourth in the last five years when the Pac-10 coaches selected senior Kiralee Hayashi.
* UCLA remained the only winners of the annual Bruin Classic, winning for the third straight year.
* The Bruins won the UCLA Invitational for the eighth straight year in 1999.
* UCLA four times scored Top 10 school team marks in 1999 - its 197.775 at Pac-10s was a school record; its 197.15 at Regionals rank fourth; its 196.5 at the Bruin Classic ranks seventh, and the 196.425 scored at the NCAA Prelims ranks 10th.
* Heidi Moneymaker set a school record with five first-team All-American honors in 1999.
BRUINS HIT 24 FOR 24 TO QUALIFY FOR NCAAs:
At the NCAA Regionals Apr. 10, UCLA hit a perfect 24 for 24 routines to easily win the regional title with a score of 197.025. The Bruins were led by Region 1 Gymnast of the Year Heidi Moneymaker, who won the all-around with a score of 39.525. Three of her teammates placed in the Top 5 as well, with Kiralee Hayashi tying her career-high with a 39.4 while placing third, Mohini Bhardwaj setting a new career-high with a fourth-place score of 39.375, and Lena Degteva placing fifth with a 39.35.
HAYASHI PAC-10 GYMNAST OF THE YEAR:
Senior co-captain Kiralee Hayashi became UCLA's third consecutive and eighth overall Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year in 1999. Hayashi was unable to compete on her first two events at this year's Pac-10 Championships due to a racing heartbeat but returned to score career-highs on beam (9.9) and floor (9.95) to help her team win the conference title.
MONEYMAKER WINS PAC-10 TITLES:
Despite sitting out the entire week with the flu, Heidi Moneymaker won individual Pac-10 titles in the all-around (39.675) and vault (tied, 9.925). The junior also led her team to its eighth Pac-10 team championship and school record total of 197.775.
DEGTEVA, MONEYMAKER NAMED ALL-CONFERENCE:
Juniors Lena Degteva and Heidi Moneymaker earned a total of five All-Pac-10 honors for 1999, including all-around acclaim for the first time in their careers. Moneymaker also earned all-conference honors on vault, bars and beam. No other gymnast in 1999 earned more than two honors. All-conference honors are selected based on an individual's RQS plus score at the Pac-10 Championships.
ERICKSON NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-PAC-10:
Senior Susie Erickson earned second-team Pac-10 All-Academic honors with a 3.4 GPA in Environmental Studies. Erickson earned honorable mention acclaim the last two seasons.
Final Standings, 1999 NCAA Championships
Place Team Score
1 Georgia 196.850
2 Michigan 196.550
3 Alabama 195.950
4 Arizona State 195.900
5 UCLA 195.850
6 Nebraska 194.800
7 Utah 195.475
8 Penn State 194.775
9 LSU 194.475
10t Stanford 194.000
10t Florida 194.000
12 West Virginia 191.850
All-Around
1 Theresa Kulikowski, Utah 39.675
2 Karin Lichey, Georgia 39.575
3 Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 39.550
4 Andree Pickens, Alabama 39.450
5 Heather Brink, Nebraska 39.400
6t Lena Degteva, UCLA 39.375
6t Kristi Lichey, Georgia 39.375
8 Heidi Hornbeek, Arizona 39.350
Vault
1 Heidi Moneymaker, UCLA 9.8625
Uneven Bars
1 Angie Leonard, Utah 9.950
Balance Beam
1t Kiralee Hayashi, UCLA 9.900
1t Theresa Kulikowski, Utah 9.900
1t Andree Pickens, Alabama 9.900
Floor Exercise
1 Marny Oestreng, Bowling Green 9.925||
