March 4, 2001
Los Angeles, CA - The top-ranked UCLA gymnastics team won its fifth consecutive Bruin Classic with a meet record 197.7 to remain the meet's only team champion. California was second with a 195.025, followed by Utah State (192.225) and UC Santa Barbara (188.575).
UCLA closed the afternoon with a school-record 49.85 total on the floor exercise. The meet ended with back-to-back-to-back perfect 10s from 2000 U.S. Olympians Kristen Maloney (Pen Argyl, PA) and Jamie Dantzscher (San Dimas, CA) and three-time All-American Onnie Willis (Tacoma, WA). Malia Jones (Sparks, NV) started the rotation with a career-high 9.925 to set the table for her teammates. Valerie Velasco (Fullerton, CA) tied her career-high with a 9.85, and Kristin Parker (Hanford, CA) contributed a 9.925. Maloney then recorded her first career 10.0 on floor, Dantzscher earned her fourth 10 on floor and her sixth overall this year, and Willis closed it out with her first-ever 10 on floor.
The Bruins took a slight lead after one rotation, recording a 49.05 on vault to Cal's 48.875 on bars. A 49.45 on bars in rotation two helped the Bruins put more distance between them and the Golden Bears, who totaled 48.125 on beam. A 49.35 set on beam gave UCLA a 1.6 lead over Cal heading into the final rotation.
Willis won the all-around with a 39.6. In addition to her floor win, she had second-place finishes on vault (9.85) and bars (9.9) and a third-place showing on beam (career-high tying 9.85). Jones placed second in the all-around with a 39.35, and Cal's Pari Olver placed third with a 39.2.
Dantzscher took first place honors on three events - vault (career-high 9.925), bars (9.925) and floor (10.0). Mohini Bhardwaj (Cincinnati, OH) won the balance beam with a career-high tying 9.95. Maloney earned second place on bars (career-high 9.9) and beam (9.9), in addition to her first-place tie on floor.
UCLA returns to action Friday, Mar. 9 with a dual meet at Michigan.
5th Annual Bruin Classic
TEAM: 1. UCLA 197.7^, 2. California 195.025, 3. Utah State 192.225, 4. UC Santa Barbara 188.575.
ALL-AROUND: 1. Onnie Willis (UCLA) 39.6, 2. Malia Jones (UCLA) 39.35, 3. Pari Olver (Cal) 39.2.
VAULT: 1. Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA) 9.925*, 2. Onnie Willis (UCLA) 9.85, 3. Lisa Arnold (Cal) 9.825.
BARS: 1. Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA) 9.925, 2T. Onnie Willis (UCLA) 9.9, 2T. Kristen Maloney (UCLA) 9.9*
BEAM: 1. Mohini Bhardwaj (UCLA) 9.95*^, 2. Kristen Maloney (UCLA) 9.9, 3. Onnie Willis (UCLA) 9.85*
FLOOR: 1T. Onnie Willis (UCLA) 10.0*^, 1T. Jamie Dantzscher (UCLA) 10.0*^, 1T. Kristen Maloney (UCLA) 10.0*^
* - career-high, ^ - meet record
Play-by-play commentary by former Bruin All-Americans Kiralee Hayashi and Amy Smith.
Rotation One
Vault
Lindsey Dong - layout Phelps - slightly Piked, but stuck the landing. Good solid starting vault. 9.675.
Malia Jones - handspring front pike - nice vault, clean, took a small step on the landing. 9.725.
Yvonne Tousek - Yurchenko front layout half - good vault, nice layout position, but legs slightly bent, small step on landing. 9.775.
Jamie Dantzscher - layout Phelps - really nice vault, great distance, stuck landing. 9.925 (ties career high).
Kristin Parker - front handspring layout half - big vault, chest a little low on the landing, good landing. 9.775.
Onnie Willis - huge vault! over-rotated, big hop on landing but had great height and distance. 9.85.
Team total - 49.05.
Standings after one rotation - 1. UCLA 49.05, 2. Cal 48.875, 3. UCSB 48.125, 4. Utah State 46.575.
Rotation Two
Bars
Onnie Willis - hit every handstand, very clean, beautiful routine, stuck dismount. Amazing leadoff routine. 9.9
Doni Thompson - a few minor deductions, huge release moves, tiny step on the dismount. 9.85.
Kristen Maloney - solid routine, release caught a little low, but stuck her double front dismount. 9.9.
Malia Jones - very clean routine, short on last cast but nailed her double layout dismount. 9.875.
Jamie Dantzscher - very fluid swing. She just works the equipment. Small step back on her landing is the only deduction on a beautiful routine. 9.925.
Mohini Bhardwaj - fell on her Tkatchev but finished strong, catching a big Geinger and nailing her dismount. 9.45.
Team total - 49.45.
Standings after two rotations - 1. UCLA 98.5, 2. Cal 97.0, 3. Utah State 95.475, 4. UCSB 95.05.
Rotation Three
Beam
Doni Thompson - good solid routine to start off with, a couple of balance checks. Overall a clean routine. 9.775.
Malia Jones - slight wobble on flight series, solid gym-acro (switch leap, gainer layout stepout), stuck dismount. 9.825.
Onnie Willis - shows a lot of confidence in her movement. everything was on and solid. Two steps on double back dismount. 9.85.
Kristin Parker - only deductions were a slight balance check on a turn and a small step on her dismount. Other than that, she was solid. Good routine. 9.825.
Kristen Maloney - solid routine, huge full-twisting backhandspring swingdown, slight leg separation on dismount, but no other noticeable dedeuctions. 9.9.
Mohini Bhardwaj - makes everything look so easy. everything was perfect. Huge double back dismount but took a hop on the landing. 9.95.
Team total - 49.35.
Standings after three rotations - 1. UCLA 147.85, 2. Cal 146.25, 3. Utah State 144.175, 4. UCSB - 140.55.
Rotation Four
Floor
Malia Jones - nice, clean routine. Looked like she had a great time doing it, smiling the entire time. Stuck landings on her tumbling runs. Got the crowd into it. 9.925 (career high).
Valerie Velasco - minor deductions on first and second tumbling passes on the landings, but overall, good difficulty, great lines on her leaps. 9.85.
Kristin Parker - huge Arabian double front, successfully fought hard to keep it in bounds. Rest of her routine was very clean, got the audience into it. 9.925.
Kristen Maloney - mounted with a nice double layout. Solid 2nd and 3rd tumbling passes. No deductions. 10.0! (her first 10 on floor)
Jamie Dantzscher - Huge double layout, very open, pretty and stuck! Dynamic tumbling, supported by great dance and perfect completely stuck landings. Another 10.0!
Onnie Willis - Best routine of the day. Everything was perfect. Dance was phenomenal, and she smiled throughout the entire routine. The crowd was very into her. Undoubtedly a 10. Well-deserved. Her first 10 on floor in her career, and the first back-to-back-to-back 10s in UCLA history.
Mohini Bhardwaj (exhibition) - She's trying out new tumbling and attempted a handpsring double front mount! Unfortunately she sat it down, but she stuck two of them beautifully in warmups.
Team total - 49.85 (school record!)