#5 UCLA at #3 Florida
Friday, Jan. 15 - 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT
Live Stream: SEC Network + (http://es.pn/1TOf3Y3)
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/florida/gym/
UCLA Travels to Florida
Fresh off a season-opening win over Alabama, fifth-ranked UCLA will face the third-ranked team in the nation for the second consecutive week, this time traveling to No. 3 Florida for the Bruins' first road competition of the year. The meet will take place at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Friday, Jan. 15 at 7pm ET/4pm PT. A live stream on SEC Network + will be available at http://es.pn/1TOf3Y3.
Follow Live
Live stats will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/florida/gym/. Live updates can be found on Twitter: @UCLAGymnastics.
Bruins Battle Three-Time Defending Champs
Six-time NCAA champion UCLA will take on three-time defending NCAA champion Florida on Friday. This season, the Bruins take on the five other teams who have won an NCAA championship - six-time champion Alabama, three-time champion Florida, nine-time champion Utah, 10-time champion Georgia and 2014 co-champion Oklahoma.
In the Rankings
UCLA moved up one spot to No. 5 in the national rankings after posting a score of 196.550 in the season opener. The Bruins are ranked second on beam and floor, 18th on vault and 25th on bars.
Individually, Danusia Francis and Christine Peng-Peng Lee are tied for first on beam. Sadiqua Bynum and Hallie Mossett are tied for second on floor, and Angi Cipra is tied for sixth. Cipra is also tied for 21st on vault.
UCLA vs. Florida - The Matchup
This will be UCLA's first appearance in Gainesville since winning the NCAA Championship in 2010. The last regular season matchup between the Bruins and Gators took place in the 2014 season opener in Pauley Pavilion, where the Gators prevailed by the slimmest of margins, 196.650-196.625. UCLA holds the regular season series advantage, 7-2.
Florida returns five All-Americans from last year's championship squad, including 2008 Olympic silver medalist and 2009 World all-around champion Bridget Sloan, who has captured three NCAA individual titles in her career and scored a perfect 10 on every apparatus. The Gators are led by first-year head coach Jenny Rowland.
About the Bruins
UCLA returns four All-Americans from last year's squad - Sadiqua Bynum (floor), Sophina DeJesus (bars), Danusia Francis (beam) and Christine Peng-Peng Lee (bars and beam). Newcomers to the squad this year include 2013 America Cup winner Katelyn Ohashi, 2014 Level 10 national vault champion Madison Preston, eight-time Region 1 champion Nicki Shapiro and 2015 World Championships competitor Stella Savvidou. Additionally, 2013 Level 10 national bars champion Melissa Metcalf is back after missing the 2015 season with a knee injury. Freshman Macy Toronjo, who won the 2015 Level 10 national all-around and floor titles, is out for the year after undergoing rotator cuff surgery.
The Bruins lose seven gymnasts from a year ago, most notably All-Americans Samantha Peszek and Jordan Williams. Peszek won the NCAA all-around and beam titles last season and finished her career as a 17-time All-American and a 2015 Academic All-American.
Coming Back
UCLA returns 10 athletes who saw competition time a year ago and 17 of 24 routines (71%) competed at the 2015 NCAA Championships, including five each on bars and beam. The Bruins will need to replace 9.9+ scores from Samantha Peszek (all-around) and Jordan Williams (vault). Six Bruin returners scored at least one 9.9 last season - Sonya Meraz (1), Sophina DeJesus (2), Angi Cipra (3), Sadiqua Bynum (8), Danusia Francis (15), and Christine Peng-Peng Lee (15). Additionally, Lee pulled in seven scores of 9.95 or better, including one 9.975 on beam; Francis had five 9.95s, and Bynum had one, a 9.975 on floor.
Bruins Beat Bama in Opener
UCLA used strong performances on beam and floor to defeat third-ranked Alabama in the season opener, 196.550-196.300. The Bruins scored 49.4 on beam and 49.475 on floor to overtake the Crimson Tide. The meet came down to the final routine, and UCLA senior Sadiqua Bynum scored 9.95 to clinch the victory. The Bruins were boosted by four 9.95 scores - Bynum's on floor, Hallie Mossett on floor and Danusia Francis and Christine Peng-Peng Lee on beam.
Mossett Named Pac-12 Specialist of Week
Junior Hallie Mossett was named the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week after scoring a career-high 9.95 on floor to help UCLA defeat Alabama in the season opener. Mossett shattered her previous career-high on floor (9.875) with her routine that ended with a stuck double pike. She earned a 10.0 from one judge and a 9.9 from the other. The victory on floor was the first of her career.
Bruin Debuts
Three Bruins made their collegiate debuts in the season opener. Freshman Madison Preston anchored the Bruins on vault and scored 9.775. Sophomore Melissa Metcalf, who sat out the 2015 season with a knee injury, competed on uneven bars and scored 9.725 with a stuck double front dismount. Freshman Katelyn Ohashi was UCLA's lone all-arounder and scored 38.625, with scores including a 9.8 on beam and 9.85 on floor.
High Marks
After just one meet, UCLA has already posted four 9.95 scores this season - Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Danusia Francis on beam and Hallie Mossett and Sadiqua Bynum on floor. Mossett's 9.95 was the first 9.95+ score of her career, and Bynum's was her second. Lee now has eight (3 on bars, 5 on beam), and Francis has 10 (9 on beam, 1 on floor).
Lee Goes Hands-Free on Beam
Christine Peng-Peng Lee underwent surgery in November for a torn ligament in her left thumb, but it has not stopped her from performing to the best of her abilities. In her only routine of the meet in the season opener, she scored 9.95 on beam with a hands-free “Bluetooth” routine that included an aerial-back layout combo, a double turn and an aerial-layout full dismount.
Vault Changes
With the Yurchenko layout full and Yurchenko layout half vaults being devalued to 9.95 start values, several Bruins have been working on new vaults in 2016 to maintain a 10.0 start value. Two Bruins competed 10.0 vaults in the season opener. Napualani Hall scored 9.775 on her Yurchenko 1.5, and Sadiqua Bynum scored 9.7 on her Yurchenko Arabian. Angi Cipra had UCLA's top score on vault with a 9.85 on a Yurchenko layout full.
International Competitors
UCLA was well-represented at the 2015 World Championships in Glasgow, as senior Danusia Francis competed for Jamaica and freshman Stella Savvidou competed for Cyprus. Bruin signee Madison Kocian, who will defer enrollment until the 2017 season, won a pair of gold medals for the uneven bars and team competition. The Bruins have two other former World Championship competitors in Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Mikaela Gerber, who were on Canada's 2011 Worlds team, and an American Cup (2013) and Pacific Rim Championship (2012) all-around champ in Katelyn Ohashi.
Notables
Danusia Francis has hit 36 routines in a row without a fall, with 33 of those routines scoring 9.8 or above … Sadiqua Bynum hit all 23 routines in 2015 and has hit 32 in a row since 2014 … With her 9.85 on beam in the season opener, Sophina DeJesus has now scored 9.8 or higher on 11 straight beam routines … Hallie Mossett choreographed the floor exercise routines for JaNay Honest, Napualani Hall and Rechelle Dennis and helped head coach Valorie Kondos Field choreograph others on the team, including her own.
Francis Hosts Bruin Banter
Senior Danusia Francis has taken over hosting duties from Samantha Peszek in the weekly gymnastics web series Bruin Banter on uclabruins.com. Francis makes her debut as host this week, with special guest Hallie Mossett.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will compete at No. 10 Arizona on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 12pm PT.