UCLA
Washington
UCLA Ends Strong to Defeat Washington
February 22, 2016 | Gymnastics
Seattle, Wash. - A short-handed UCLA gymnastics team battled Washington to the wire, using strong floor and beam sets in the final two rotations to defeat the Huskies, 196.675-196.450, on Sunday afternoon.
The two teams were close throughout each rotation. The Huskies took a .025 lead after the first rotation with a 49.075 on vault, while the Bruins scored 49.050 on bars. Sophina DeJesus led the Bruins with a first-place score of 9.925, and Rechelle Dennis and Danusia Francis each contributed 9.8s. In rotation two, Sadiqua Bynum led the Bruins to a team total of 48.95 on vault with a meet-winning 9.875. The Huskies increased their lead to one-tenth of a point, 98.100-98.000, with a bars score of 49.025.
UCLA (5-2, 4-1 in the Pac-12) mounted its comeback in rotation three despite two out-of-bounds deductions on floor exercise. The Bruins scored 49.350 and were led by 9.95s from Angi Cipra and Bynum. Cipra received one 10.0 score from one of the two judges, the second time in the last three meets she has done so. DeJesus continued to score well, notching her third 9.9+ score in as many meets with a season-high-tying 9.925. JaNay Honest made her season debut on floor and scored a career-best 9.85. UCLA had to count Mikaela Gerber's 9.675 but still scored a meet-high 49.35 on floor to grab the lead over Washington (3-7, 2-3) by one-tenth of a point, 147.350-147.250.
The Bruins needed a strong beam rotation to hang on to the lead in the last rotation with the Huskies going to floor on their home court, and they got five strong scores of 9.825 or better for a team total of 49.325. Gerber led off with a career-high 9.875, followed by Cipra scoring a career-high 9.85 in just her second beam routine of the season. Nicki Shapiro followed up her 9.9 debut last week with another top score, a 9.85. DeJesus completed a strong meet with a 9.825, and Francis posted a meet-winning 9.925. With five good scores in hand, the Bruins chose to scratch Sonya Meraz, who had been battling the flu all week. Washington still had a chance to tie with a perfect 10 from final competitor Allison Northey, but she landed short on her final tumbling pass and scored 9.75.
UCLA was competing without several gymnasts due to injuries and had Meraz and Madison Preston competing in a limited capacity.
"The fight was exceptionally good," UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos Field said about her team. "They never gave up. They never quit, they didn't give in to fatigue or pain. They got really focused and competed beautifully."
UCLA will begin a three-meet homestand on Saturday, Feb. 27 with a dual meet in Pauley Pavilion against Arizona State. Tickets are available at uclabruins.com/tickets.
Players Mentioned
