University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Hosts Cal in Super Bowl Sunday Pregame Gymnastics Party
January 29, 2015 | Gymnastics
Sunday, Feb. 1 - 10am PT, Pauley Pavilion
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson, Amanda Borden)
Live Stats - uclabruins.com
Super Gymnastics Sunday
No. 15 UCLA hosts No. 21 California on Sunday, Feb. 1 in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins' pregame Super Bowl party will take place at 10am and will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks, with Jim Watson and Olympic gold medalist Amanda Borden on the call.
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets for the UCLA-Cal meet are on sale now at the UCLA Central Ticket Office. Season tickets are also available for $49 and include reserved seating to the remaining four home meets. Single-meet general admission tickets are on sale at the UCLA Central Ticket Office and at Ticketmaster for $8 for adults and $5 for youth (16 and under). UCLA students are free with ID and eligible to win a raffle prize each home meet. This week's prize is a 49” TV. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a UCLA Gymnastics #aStormisBruin bracelet.
Follow Live
Live stats will be available at uclabruins.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter: @UCLAGymnastics.
In the Rankings
UCLA ranks 15th overall, sixth on vault, 13th on beam and 18th on floor. Cal ranks 21st overall, 14th on bars, 17th on vault and 23rd on floor.
Individually, Samantha Peszek is tied for No. 1 in the nation in the all-around with an average of 39.588 and on beam with an average of 9.917. She also ranks fifth on bars (9.917), ninth on vault (9.908) and 17th on floor (9.875). The only other Bruin to rank in the Top 25 this week is LaNiesha-Jopré Irvin, whoh ranks 23rd on vault (9.875).
About the Golden Bears
California is off to its best start in program history at 10-0. The Golden Bears won their last meet on Sunday, a home quad meet, scoring 195.900 to defeat Denver, San Jose State and Arizona State. Freshman Toni-Ann Williams recorded the fifth-highest all-around total in school history with a 39.475 and ranks sixth in the nation on floor and 13th on vault. Williams has been named the Pac-12's Freshman/Newcomer of the Week the last two weeks.
The Series with Cal
UCLA leads the all-time regular season series with Cal, 63-2. The two teams faced each other twice last season, with UCLA winning the dual in Berkeley, 196.575-195.550, and Cal finishing ahead of UCLA at the Pac-12 Championships, placing third to UCLA's fourth.
Bruins Drop Dual at Utah
Struggles on bars and beam negated strong performances on vault and floor as the Bruins lost their first meet of the season, 194.725-196.725, at Utah. Samantha Peszek won the battle between the nation's top two-ranked all-arounders, outscoring top-ranked Georgia Dabritz with a season-high score of 39.625. Peszek also won beam with a 9.95 and tied for first on bars, along with Christine Peng-Peng Lee, with a 9.9.
Peszek in Primetime Form
Fifth-year senior Samantha Peszek has been lights out in each one the Bruins' three meets and was rewarded for it this week by being named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week. In the season opener, she scored 39.55 to win the all-around at Oregon State. In the home opener vs. Arizona, she recorded a 9.975 on bars, 9.95 on beam and 9.875 on vault to win all three events in which she competed. At Utah, she won the all-around with a season-high 39.625 and had first-place finishes on bars (9.9) and beam (9.95). Peszek, the nation's No. 1-ranked gymnast in the all-around and on beam, has nine of a possible 13 victories this season.
Lee Makes Long-Awaited Return
Nearly three years after her last competition, redshirt sophomore Christine Peng-Peng Lee made her highly-anticipated collegiate debut at Oregon State on Jan. 12. Lee showed zero signs of rust, winning two events and placing fourth in another. She stuck every dismount and hit every skill in her difficult routines, scoring 9.9 to win bars, 9.825 on a stuck Yurchenko full vault, and 9.875 to tie for first on beam. So far this season, she has three event wins, also taking first place on bars at Utah. Lee tore ligaments in her knee in 2012 just before the Canadian National Championships and had two surgeries, one in 2012 and another in 2013.
Gerber Enjoying Breakout Season
Sophomore Mikaela Gerber has enjoyed a breakout season so far, with strong and consistent routines in each of her three meets. In the season opener, she scored 9.8 on beam in just her second counting beam routine of her career and recorded the Bruins' second-highest mark on floor (9.725). Against Arizona, she was moved into the leadoff position on beam and delivered another 9.8 that paved the way for a 49.35 team score. She also scored a career-best 9.825 on floor. At Utah, she hit another strong beam leadoff routine and scored 9.675 and again tied her career-best on floor with a 9.825. Gerber is posting an average score of 9.775 on her six routines this year.
Francis. Danusia Francis
Junior Danusia Francis set a new career-high on floor vs. Arizona on Jan. 19, scoring 9.925 with her James Bond-themed routine to win the event for the first time in her career. Using her limbs as a weapon, Francis engaged the crowd and judges and also nailed her tumbling passes, including a stuck-cold double pike to close. Francis had a strong meet overall against Arizona, scoring 9.925 on beam and 9.775 on bars.
Walk-On Freshmen Impress
Walk-on freshmen JaNay Honest, LaNiesha-Jopré Irvin and Sonya Meraz have impressed this season with consistent performances. Honest is averaging 9.817 on vault and has season-high marks of 9.825 on both vault and bars. Irvin ranks 23rd in the nation on vault with a 9.875 average and has placed second on the event in each of her two meets, with a high of 9.9 set at Utah. Competing for the first time in Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 19, Meraz scored 9.825 on her floor debut and also earned 9.825 on an exhibition beam routine. On beam, she is averaging 9.767 in three exhibition routines.
Honoring Bruin Greats with Legacy Routines
This season, several of UCLA's memorable floor exercise routines are coming back to life via current team members as they pay tribute to legacy of UCLA Gymnastics. Among these “legacy routines” are those done by Sadiqua Bynum, who asked to perform to Onnie Willis' sophomore year music, and Jennifer Pinches, who is recreating Lena Degteva's West Side Story routine. Freshman Sonya Meraz also has a routine previously done by Degteva, a 13-time All-American from 1997-2000. Willis, a 16-time All-American from 2000-03, was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame this year. Learn more here.
Bruins Performing Skills Named After Bruins
Another way in which UCLA Gymnastics greats are being honored is through skills being performed that bear their names. Christine Peng-Peng Lee performs two high-risk moves that are named after Bruins - the Homma Flairs on beam (named after Leah Homma, who captained UCLA's first-ever NCAA Championship team in 1997) and the Bhardwaj on uneven bars (named after Mohini Bhardwaj, who won four NCAA titles from 1998-2001). Additionally, Danusia Francis performs a Maloney on uneven bars (named after Kristen Maloney, who won five NCAA titles from 2001-05).
Looking Ahead
UCLA hosts Washington on Monday, Feb. 9 at 6pm. The meet will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks.
Players Mentioned
