University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Signs Three Standouts, Including World Champion Simone Biles
November 12, 2014 | Gymnastics
Biles (Spring, Texas) is already one of the most decorated gymnasts in U.S. history after just two years at the senior level. She has won nine World medals in two years (six gold, two silver, one bronze), which is tied for second-most all-time in U.S. history. In 2014, she became the first woman in 40 years to win four gold medals at a single World Championships, capturing team, all-around, balance beam and floor exercise gold. She also won a silver medal on vault. In 2013, she won her first World gold medals, in the all-around and floor exercise, and also collected silver on vault and bronze on balance beam. Biles' six World gold medals are the most ever by an American woman. She has also captured a slew of medals at the U.S. National Championships, winning national titles in the all-around (2013, 2014), vault (2014) and floor exercise (2014) and silver medals on all four events in 2013 and on beam in 2014. Biles, who was recently honored as the 2014 Women's Sports Foundation's individual Sportswoman of the Year, trains at World Champions Centre under coach Aimee Boorman.
Kocian (Dallas, Texas/Spring Creek Academy) helped the U.S. win the team title at the World Championships this fall, competing all-around in the preliminaries and providing a high score on uneven bars in the team finals. Kocian also won silver medals on uneven bars at the 2014 Pan American Championships, City of Jesolo Trophy, P&G National Championships and U.S. Classic. At the junior level, Kocian placed third on bars and fifth in the all-around at the 2010 Visa National Championships and sixth in the all-around at the 2009 Visa National Championships. She trains at WOGA Gymnastics under coaches Laurent Landi and Natasha Boyarskaya.
Toronjo (Huntsville, Texas/Coppell HS) is coming off an impressive senior elite debut in 2014, placing eighth in the all-around and sixth on floor exercise at the P&G National Championships and first in the all-around, bars and beam and second on floor at the American Classic. At the junior level in 2011, she won a bronze medal on floor and placed ninth in the all-around at the Junior American Classic to qualify for the Visa National Championships. Toronjo trains at Texas Dreams Gymnastics under coaches Kim Zmeskal Burdette and Chris Burdette.
Biles and Kocian plan to defer enrollment until after the 2016 Olympics. Toronjo plans to join the Bruins in the 2015-16 school year.
“We are thrilled about our 2015 recruiting class,” said UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field. “With the addition of Macy Toronjo, Madison Kocian and Simone Biles, we are bringing in not only talent but a lot of competitive experience and rock-solid character. Macy is coming off a tremendous elite competitive season. She has increased her difficulty and improved tremendously this past year. We are excited that she brings solid routines on every event. Madison Kocian is coming off her contribution in helping the USA earn the gold medal in the World Championships last month. Madison is the type of student-athlete that Championship programs are built around. And Simone Biles is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, recruitable talent in NCAA history. Her explosive gymnastics and energetic personality are contagious and are elements we're hoping will permeate throughout our team. All three of these student-athletes are great gymnasts who have strong personal character and represent all that UCLA Gymnastics has been built on.”
