University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Competes for Pac-12 Championship
March 16, 2016 | Gymnastics
No. 9 UCLA at Pac-12 Championships
Saturday, Mar. 19 - 6:00 pm
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson, Amanda Borden)
Live Stats: gohuskies.com
UCLA Competes in Pac-12 Championships
No. 9 UCLA (6-5) seeks its 17th Pac-12 team title this Saturday, Mar. 19 at the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships in Seattle, Wash. The Bruins are the No. 2 seed at the Championships and will compete in the evening session at 6pm along with No. 1 seed Utah, No. 3 seed California and No. 4 seed Oregon State. Competing in the afternoon session at 1pm are No. 5 seed Washington, No. 6 Stanford, No. 7 seed Arizona and No. 8 Arizona State. Seeding is determined by national rankings, which are based on Regional Qualifying Score (RQS). The Pac-12 champion will be the team with the highest score from the two sessions. Individual champions will also be determined via combined sessions.
Follow Live
Both sessions at the Pac-12 Championships will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks, with Jim Watson and Amanda Borden on the call. Live stats will be available at gohuskies.com, and live updates can be found on Twitter by following @UCLAGymnastics.
Rotation Order
The No. 2 (UCLA) and No. 6 (Stanford) seeds will start on vault. No. 3 (Cal) and No. 7 (Arizona) will start on bars. No. 1 (Utah) and No. 5 (Washington) will start on the beam, and the No. 4 (Oregon State) and No. 8 (Arizona State) seeds will begin on floor.
Pride of the Pac
The Pac-12 Conference has seven teams ranked in the Top 25. Utah is 5th, UCLA 9th, California 11th, Oregon State 14th, Washington 17th, Stanford 19th, and Arizona 21st. Arizona State ranks 51st.
Conference Championship History
UCLA has won the most conference championships among the eight member schools with 16 Pac-12 titles (1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012) and 1 WCAA title (1981) in 29 years. Oregon State (1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2011, 2013), Stanford (1998, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008) and Utah (2014, 2015) are the only other teams to win Pac-12 titles. Two-time defending Pac-12 champion Utah is the first repeat winner since UCLA won back-to-back crowns in 2009 and 2010. Only one school has ever won more than twice in a row - UCLA won four straight from 1987-90.
UCLA has dominated individually at the Pac-12 Championships, winning a conference-best 86 individual titles. The Bruins have been especially dominant in the all-around, winning 18 titles, including 12 in the last 20 years (includes ties). UCLA gymnasts have won 20 titles on bars, 17 on floor, 16 on vault and 15 on beam.
There are four reigning or former Pac-12 individual champions in the field: reigning champions Elizabeth Price from Stanford (bars) and Jessie Sisler from Arizona (floor) and 2014 vault co-champions Allison Flores and Shelby Edwards from Arizona.
Last Year at Pac-12 Championships
UCLA placed second at the Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships, earning its second-highest score of the season, 197.350, but finishing behind host Utah, who repeated as Pac-12 champions with a score of 198.150.
Bruin senior Samantha Peszek won her second-straight Pac-12 balance beam title, scoring 9.95, and captured her first floor exercise crown, tying for first with Utah's Georgia Dabritz and Arizona's Jessie Sisler with a score of 9.95. Peszek also tied for second in the all-around with a 39.575. Dabritz won the all-around with a 39.775.
Conference Awards Up for Grabs
Conference awards for Gymnast of the Year, Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, Specialist of the Year, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Coach of the Year will be handed out at the conclusion of the Pac-12 Championship meet. UCLA has won 13 of the last 19 Gymnast of the Year awards, most recently Vanessa Zamarripa in 2013 and 2010, and a total of 18 in 29 years. Head coach Valorie Kondos Field has won Coach of the Year honors four times (1995, 2000, 2003, 2012). UCLA has produced seven Freshmen/Newcomers of the Year since the introduction of the award in 2000 - Olivia Courtney in 2011, Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs in 2009, Brittani McCullough in 2008, Ariana Berlin in 2006 (co-winner), Tasha Schwikert in 2005, Kate Richardson in 2003 and Doni Thompson in 2000. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year was established in 2008, and UCLA has one winner - Ariana Berlin in 2009. The Bruins have not had a winner as Specialist of the Year, which was just introduced in 2013.
In the Rankings
For the second-straight week, UCLA improved its Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) but dropped one spot in the national rankings. The Bruins are now No. 9 with a RQS of 196.940. RQS is determined by taking the top six scores, three of which must be on the road, dropping the high score and averaging the remaining five marks. The Bruins are No. 7 on floor (49.430), No. 9 on beam (49.240), No. 10 on vault (49.165) and No. 13 on bars (49.185). There are three Bruins ranked in the Top 25 nationally, and they are all ranked in the Top 10 on their respective events - Danusia Francis is No. 2 on beam, Sadiqua Bynum is No. 7 on floor, and Angi Cipra is No. 9 on floor.
Last Time Out
UCLA recorded its second-highest score of the season, 197.200, but it was not enough to best top-ranked Oklahoma, who scored 197.950. The Bruin seniors bid farewell to Pauley Pavilion with strong performances, led by 9.95s on floor exercise by Danusia Francis and Sadiqua Bynum. Francis earned a 10.0 from one of the floor judges en route to posting her career-best score on the event. Bruin junior Angi Cipra also matched the score to tie for first place. UCLA's other event winner was sophomore JaNay Honest, who achieved a new career-high on uneven bars with a score of 9.95 to tie for first. UCLA had solid numbers on all four events, recording a 49.525 on floor , 49.3 on bars, 49.225 on beam and 49.150 on vault. But Oklahoma posted huge numbers to top the Bruins, with a 49.625 on floor, 49.55 on beam, 49.4 on bars and 49.375 on vault.
Bynum Shines for Bruins
Senior Sadiqua Bynum may have started her UCLA career as a redshirt walk-on, but she is ending her career as a superstar. Bynum has been ranked in the Top 20 in the nation on floor every week this season and was No. 1 for two weeks (Weeks 8 and 9). She is currently ranked No. 7 in the nation and No. 1 in the Pac-12. Bynum's consistency on floor has been incredible, as she has scored 9.95 or higher in six consecutive meets, with a high of 9.975 set on Feb. 13, and 9.9 or better in nine of her 10 meets this season. She has also won floor in five consecutive meets and has a team-high eight event titles (seven on floor, one on vault). On vault, she holds UCLA's highest season average with a 9.843 and has the Bruins' highest vault score this season, a career-high 9.95, set Mar. 6. Bynum has won Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors once and Pac-12 Specialist of the Week honors once this season.
Francis Reaches Perfection
Senior Danusia Francis scored the second perfect 10 of her career on Mar. 6 on the balance beam. Her first perfect 10 came on Mar. 16, 2014. Francis was flawless on the balance beam, performing a routine that was both graceful and difficult, ending with a stuck landing on her one-of-a-kind sideways side aerial to immediate full-twisting layout dismount. The 10 was only the ninth by a Bruin on beam in program history and the first (and only) by a Pac-12 gymnast this year.
Francis currently ranks No. 2 in the nation on beam and held the No. 1 spot for a total of five weeks during the season. She has ranked in the Top 20 in the final regular season rankings in each of her previous three years at UCLA (No. 3 in 2015, No. 4 in 2014 and No. 18 in 2013). She is currently averaging 9.917 on beam and has posted six scores of 9.925 or better, including three 9.95s and one perfect 10.
Freshman Sensation
Freshman Katelyn Ohashi may be the smallest gymnast on the floor at 4-10, but she packs a powerful punch during competition, averaging 9.85 or higher on beam and floor. She has won Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors four times in the six weeks she has competed. Since coming back on Feb. 27 from the sternum injury that saw her miss four weeks of competition, she has scored 9.9 on four of her five routines, including three in a row on beam. She has season-high scores of 9.775 on vault, 9.925 on bars, 9.9 on beam and floor and 39.375 in the all-around.
High Marks
After nine meets, UCLA has posted 21 9.95 scores this season - Danusia Francis four times on beam and once on floor, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Sophina DeJesus once on beam, Sadiqua Bynum seven times on floor and once on vault, Angi Cipra four times on floor, Hallie Mossett once on floor and JaNay Honest once on bars. Francis leads the crew with 14 9.95+ scores in her career (12 on beam and 2 on floor). Lee has eight (3 on bars, 5 on beam), Bynum has nine (8 on floor and 1 on vault). Cipra has five on floor, Mossett has one on floor, and Honest has one on bars. DeJesus has one each on bars and beam. The Bruins have also tallied 54 scores of 9.9 or higher this year and had a season-high eight in the meets vs. Oregon State and vs. Stanford/Georgia.
Notables
Seven Bruins have hit all of their routines without a fall so far this season. Danusia Francis is 27-for-27, JaNay Honest is 24-for-24, Sadiqua Bynum is 20-for-20, Mikaela Gerber is 15-for-15, Madison Preston is 14-for-14, Melissa Metcalf is 8-for-8, and Rechelle Dennis is 5-for-5 … Francis has hit 62 routines in a row without a fall, with 56 of those routines scoring 9.8 or above … Bynum has hit 50 routines in a row since 2014 … Sophina DeJesus has scored 9.8 or higher on 18 of her last 19 beam routines … Sonya Meraz has hit 18 of 19 beam routines in her career, with 13 of those routines scoring 9.8 or higher … Meraz is the team's No. 1 point contributor this year with 292.85 total points (12.51%) … UCLA's top point producers on the individual events are Sadiqua Bynum on vault (98.425) and floor (99.225), JaNay Honest on bars (98.375), and Mikaela Gerber on beam (98.275) … 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.
Bruin Depth
The depth of the UCLA team has been on full display this season, with 16 gymnasts getting into the lineup at least three times. Stella Savvidou has competed in the last three meets and scored a high of 9.875 on bars last weekend against Oklahoma and 9.825 on beam on Feb. 27 vs. Arizona State, where she placed third. Nicki Shapiro has competed on beam the last five meets and posted a high of 9.9 in her competitive debut Feb. 13. Rechelle Dennis competed on bars for three-straight meets from Feb. 13-27, with a high of 9.85 on Feb. 27, but she sprained her ankle during vault warmups on Mar. 6 and was unable to compete in the last two meets. JaNay Honest has made the floor lineup the last four meets and is averaging 9.888 and has two scores of 9.925.
Unique Skills
UCLA gymnasts have long been known for their unique skills. Most notably, Danusia Francis is the first gymnast ever to connect a sideways side aerial to a full-twisting layout dismount on beam. She was also the first collegiate gymnast to do the sideways side aerial back in 2013. After completing a double layout as her first pass, Sadiqua Bynum does her second pass - a double tuck - as a side pass across the short length of the floor. Christine Peng-Peng Lee mounts beam with the Homma Flairs and does a double turn. She also performs a Bhardwaj (full-twisting Pak salto) on uneven bars. Other notable skills include a double wolf turn on beam by Stella Savvidou, a backhandspring/backhandspring/2-foot layout series on beam by Katelyn Ohashi, and a side somi connected to a layout full dismount on beam by Hallie Mossett.
Attendance Record Set
UCLA fans came out in record numbers in 2016, with an school-record average of 6,010 fans attending Bruin home meets. UCLA topped 5,000 fans in five meets and had over 7,000 fans in attendance twice. UCLA's home attendance numbers have increased from year-to-year since the Bruins returned to Pauley Pavilion after a remodel in 2013.
Bruins Go Viral
UCLA Gymnastics has been seen in unprecedented numbers this season, with two videos going viral and a few others going semi-viral.
Senior Sophina DeJesus started the trend when a video of her floor exercise routine went viral on Super Bowl weekend. The video has topped 28 million views on Facebook and 13 million on YouTube. DeJesus was the top trending topic on Facebook for two days and was featured on countless news programs and websites around the world, including People Magazine, Time, New York Times, BuzzFeed, Upworthy, Good Morning America, The Today Show, NPR and Cosmo. Celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon, Jamie Foxx, Ludacris, Chris Brown and Ashton Kutcher posted about her routine on social media. DeJesus was invited to be a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on Feb. 17, performing a modified version of her floor routine and reminiscing with Ellen about her first appearance on the show 10 years ago when she performed with her dance crew Diamonds in the Rough. DeJesus and her teammates also danced on stage during a commercial break with dancer/actor/DJ Stephen “tWitch” Boss.
Senior Danusia Francis was next to go viral, with her perfect 10 on balance beam on Mar. 6 seeing over 5 million views on Facebook. JaNay Honest may be the next to go viral, with K-Pop fans discovering her floor exercise routine to B.A.P.'s “Warrior”. An article about her routine posted this week was trending on the popular website AllKPop.com. Other UCLA Gymnastics videos with over half a million views on Facebook include Nicki Shapiro's balance beam save and Angi Cipra's floor exercise dance-through during the pre-season.
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 have competed 10.0 start value vaults this season. Napualani Hall has scored career-highs of 9.9 on stuck Yurchenko 1.5s twice, and Sadiqua Bynum stuck her Yurchenko Arabian Mar. 6 for a career-high 9.95. JaNay Honest and Madison Preston have UCLA's highest score on a Yurchenko layout full with 9.9s.
Francis Hosts Bruin Banter
Senior Danusia Francis has taken over hosting duties from Samantha Peszek in the weekly gymnastics web series Bruin Banter, which can be viewed every Thursday on uclabruins.com. This week's episode features Sadiqua Bynum.
UCLA Dominates Pac-12 All-Century Team
UCLA Gymnastics dominated the Pac-12 All-Century Team, with 12 Bruins selected to the 16-gymnast roster, in addition to current head coach Valorie Kondos Field being named Coach of the Century and two-time NCAA all-around champion Tasha Schwikert being selected the Gymnast of the Century.
Also selected to the All-Century team from UCLA were Jill Andrews (balance beam), Mohini Bhardwaj (all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise), Jamie Dantzscher (floor exercise, all-around), Kim Hamilton (floor exercise), Kristen Maloney (vault), Heidi Moneymaker (vault), Samantha Peszek (balance beam, all-around), Kate Richardson (floor exercise), Schwikert (all-around), Sharon Shapiro (all-around), Stella Umeh (floor exercise) and Vanessa Zamarripa (vault).
Singing Bruins
Juniors Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Hallie Mossett and team manager Alex Waller made their vocal debut singing the national anthem at the Feb. 6 UCLA Gymnastics home meet. They have performed the anthem two other times since, including their live television debut on the Pac-12 Networks on Feb. 12 at the UCLA-USC swimming and diving meet, and at the UCLA-Oregon men's basketball game on Mar. 2.
Get Social
UCLA Gymnastics ranks first among all NCAA gymnastics teams in Instagram followers (48k) and Facebook likes (100k) and ranks sixth in Twitter followers (9.5k). Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will compete at the NCAA Regionals on April 2. Pairings and sites will be announced on Monday, Mar. 28.
