March 2, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week - The eighth-ranked UCLA gymnastics team (9-6) will host sixth-ranked Georgia (7-4) and 23rd-ranked Arizona (10-5) on Sunday, Mar. 6 at 2 pm in the Bruins' regular season home finale. UCLA's seniors - undergraduate assistant coach Marci Bernholtz and gymnasts Talia Kushynski, Brittani McCullough, Mizuki Sato, Allison Taylor and Niki Tom - will be honored in pre-meet ceremonies. The Bruins' 2001 NCAA Championship team will be honored at the conclusion of the meet on the 10-year anniversary of their championship season. UCLA will also recognize all of its gymnastics alumni in attendance.
Tickets - Lower-level tickets cost $12 (adults)/$10 (youth 16 and under). Mid-level seating is $8 for adults/$6 for youth. UCLA students are free with student ID. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310/UCLA-WIN or online) or at the event.
Promotions - Giveaway items include glow sticks and pom poms to the first 500 in attendance and meet programs to the first 2,000 in attendance.
Live Coverage - UCLABruins.com will host a free live video and audio feed, along with live scoring.
Senior Salute - Sunday's meet will be the last regular season home meet for seniors Talia Kushynski, Brittani McCullough, Mizuki Sato, Allison Taylor, Niki Tom and undergraduate assistant coach Marci Bernholtz. The seniors will be honored in pre-meet ceremonies. As a group, they have won one NCAA team championship (2010), two Pac-10 team championships (2009, 2010), three All-America honors, three Scholastic All-America honors, and six Pac-10 All-Academic awards.
2001 NCAA Championship Team Honored On 10-Year Anniversary - At the conclusion of Sunday's meet, members of UCLA's 2001 NCAA Championship team will be honored on the 10-year anniversary of their Championship win, UCLA's third of six NCAA titles. The 2001 squad successfully defended its crown with a clutch performance on balance beam in their final rotation. Clinging to a one-tenth lead over home squad Georgia, the Bruins had no room for error as they headed to beam. As Georgia was scoring 49.5 on vault, the Bruins were feeding off the pressure, with five gymnasts scoring 9.9 or above. UCLA's total of 49.575 was the second-highest beam mark in school history and enough to capture a win by nearly two-tenths of a point.
On that championship team were gymnasts Jeanette Antolin, Alyssa Beckerman, Mohini Bhardwaj, Angie D'Agostino, Jamie Dantzscher, Lindsey Dong, Christy Erickson, Stephanie Johnson, Malia Jones, Kristen Maloney, Kristin Parker, Trishna Patel, Carly Raab, Doni Thompson, Yvonne Tousek, Valerie Velasco, Jamie Williams and Onnie Willis, as well as coaches Valorie Kondos Field, Randy Lane, Steve Gerlach and Kaitie Dyson.
In The Rankings - UCLA moved up one spot to No. 8 in the national rankings with a RQS of 196.170. The Bruins are ranked eighth on vault (49.140), third on bars (49.235), ninth on beam (48.915) and fifth on floor (49.180). Individually, Brittani McCullough is the only all-arounder ranked in the Top 25, checking in at 21st (39.065). Tauny Frattone is tied for 12th on vault (9.870), Monique De La Torre and Aisha Gerber are tied for 19th on bars (9.855), and Niki Tom is tied for 20th on floor (9.850).
Battle Of Champions - UCLA and Georgia have been the premier teams in the nation in the last 14 years, with the two teams combining for 13 of the last 14 NCAA titles and for 16 titles overall. The only other school to win a NCAA Championship during this 14-year span was Alabama in 2002. Overall, UCLA has won six NCAA titles (2010, 2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1997), while Georgia has won 10 (2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 1999, 1998, 1993, 1989, 1987). The two teams also have a combined total of 67 individual NCAA champions - 37 for Georgia and 30 for UCLA.
Bruins Win Tri-Meet Over Minnesota, Denver - Ninth-ranked UCLA put together another solid team performance, winning its annual John Wooden Challenge on Feb. 27 in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins scored 196.65 to easily defeat 21st-ranked Minnesota, which placed second with 194.475, and 12th-ranked Denver, which placed third with 193.85. Bruin junior Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs won the all-around and three events to lead UCLA.
Frattone Vaults Ahead - Junior Tauny Frattone continues to be UCLA's top vaulter this season, ranking 12th in the nation and averaging a team-high 9.869. She has posted five consecutive wins on the event and has scored 9.8 or better in 19 consecutive meets and in 23 of 25 career meets. Frattone tied her career-high of 9.95 on Feb. 21 against NC State and was subsequently honored with the Pac-10 Special Performance of the Week. She also scored a career-high 9.85 on beam in that meet and tied her season-high on floor with a 9.8.
Peszek Raising The Bar - Freshman Samantha Peszek is settling well after a late start to the season due to a foot fracture. After sitting out the first five meets, she made her collegiate debut on Feb. 11 and tied for first on uneven bars with a 9.9 on her first collegiate routine. She was awarded the Pac-10 Special Performance of the Week honor for this routine. Last weekend, she scored a career-high 9.925 on bars to win the event. She is leading the team on bars with an of 9.883 and has won the event in two out of three meets so far.
Gerber Takes Lead On Beam - Junior Aisha Gerber has taken over the all-important leadoff position on beam the last six meets. Although she is first in the lineup, she has maintained the team's highest season average, at 9.816. As a leadoff performer, she has scored 9.8 or better four times in six meets, including a 9.825 vs. NC State that led the way to a team season-high 49.4 on the event and a leadoff high 9.85 last Sunday. In her first leadoff performance at Southern Utah, her 9.775 score led the way towards a then-season-high 49.1 team mark. At Stanford, she led off with a 9.8, and at OSU, her 9.75 leadoff led to a season-high team score of 49.175 and a final rotation comeback win. Gerber had been fifth in the lineup in the first two meets of the season and scored 9.875 and 9.85.
Oh Canada - UCLA's Canadian trio of Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, Aisha Gerber and Sydney Sawa have been amongst the team's standouts so far this season. Hopfner-Hibbs has twice earned Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week honors, first after winning the all-around (39.55), beam (9.95) and floor (9.95) at the Pac-10 Showcase, and then again this past weekend after winning the all-around (39.5), vault (9.875), beam (9.875) and floor (9.925). She also tied for first on bars at Utah with a 9.8 and at the IGI/Chicago Style with a season-high 9.9. Hopfner-Hibbs has been UCLA's top scorer in all five meets in which she has competed all-around. Gerber won beam at Utah with a 9.875 and has placed first on uneven bars in two meets. At Stanford, she placed second in the all-around with a 39.225, her highest all-around total since 2009. Sawa has been extremely consistent all season, hitting 25 of her 26 routines without a fall, including 24 in a row to start the year. Sawa is averaging 9.825 or better on both bars and floor. She won the all-around for the first time as a Bruin against NC State, scoring a career-high 39.275 and also tied for first on floor with a career-high 9.925. She has season-bests of 9.85 on vault, 9.9 on bars, 9.825 on beam and 9.925 on floor.
UCLA Hosts Pac-10 Championships - Pauley Pavilion is playing host to the 2011 Pac-10 Championships on Mar. 19 at 4 pm. Tickets are on sale now at the UCLA Central Ticket Office (310-UCLA-WIN or tickets.ucla.edu). Ticket prices are $14 for adults/$12 for youth in the lower-level section and $10 for adults/$8 for youth in the mid-level seating. This is the first time UCLA has hosted the Pac-10 Championships since 2003. UCLA won the title that year with a Championship record score of 198.175. The Bruins are the two-time defending Pac-10 champions and have won a total of 15 Pac-10 team titles in the 24 years of the Championships.