UCLA
Oregon State
Gymnastics Returns to Competition Saturday at OSU
January 24, 2017 | Gymnastics
#8 UCLA at #17 Oregon State
Saturday, Jan. 28 - 1:30 pm
TV: Pac-12 Los Angeles (Daron Sutton, Samantha Peszek)
Live Stats: osubeavers.com
Bruins Travel to Oregon State
After a week off, No. 8 UCLA returns to competition on Saturday, Jan. 28 to face No. 17 Oregon State in Gill Coliseum. The meet will be televised live on Pac-12 Los Angeles and Pac-12 Oregon at 1:30 pm PT and delayed at 9pm PT on Pac-12 National. Daron Sutton and UCLA alumna and three-time NCAA champion Samantha Peszek will be on the call.
Follow Live
Live stats will be available at osubeavers.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter: @UCLAGymnastics.
Kocian, Ross Become First Olympic Gold Medalists to Compete Collegiately
UCLA freshmen Madison Kocian and Kyla Ross made history in the season opener when they became the first two Olympic gold medalists ever to compete in an NCAA women's gymnastics meet. Kocian won team gold as a member of the Final Five along with uneven bars silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, while Ross won team gold at the 2012 Olympics in London (along with UCLA volunteer coach Jordyn Wieber) as a member of the Fierce Five.
Kocian won the all-around with a 39.425 in her collegiate debut and also tied for first place on uneven bars (9.875), balance beam (9.85) and floor exercise (9.875) and fourth place on vault (9.825). Ross tied for first on uneven bars (9.875) and placed third on vault (9.875). She also competed on balance beam and scored 9.7.
UCLA Improves by Over a Point at Oklahoma
The Bruins improved upon their season-opening total by over a point, scoring 196.825 in a dual meet loss to Oklahoma, who scored a national-best 198.025. The Bruins were strong on uneven bars and balance beam, scoring 49.35 on bars and 49.425 on beam. Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Kyla Ross tied for first place on bars with scores of 9.925, and Lee finished second on beam with a 9.95 on a routine that earned a perfect 10 from one judge. Madison Kocian rebounded from a rough start on uneven bars, earning the Bruins' top scores on vault (9.875) and floor (9.9) and adding a season-best 9.925 on beam.
Lee Named Pac-12 Specialist of the Week
UCLA's first Pac-12 weekly honor of the season went to Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who was named Pac-12 Specialist of the Week on Jan. 17 after her performance at Oklahoma. Lee tied for first on uneven bars for the second-straight meet, recording a score of 9.925, and scored 9.95 on balance beam, earning a perfect 10 from one of the two judges. This is the fourth Pac-12 weekly honor of her career; she was Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week twice in 2015 and Specialist of the Week once.
Bruins Win Season Opener Over Arkansas
Using 13 competitors throughout the day, UCLA defeated Arkansas, 195.7-195.35 in the season opener on Jan. 7. The Bruins used strong 49.25 performances on vault and uneven bars in the first two rotations to build a strong enough lead to withstand errors on balance beam and floor exercise. Senior Hallie Mossett clinched the victory for the Bruins with her 9.8 on floor on the final routine of the meet. Freshman Madison Kocian won the all-around and three events, and sophomore Madison Preston earned first-place finishes on both events in which she competed (vault and floor). Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Kyla Ross tied with Kocian for the bars title, and Mikaela Gerber tied for first with Kocian on beam, Gerber's first career win.
In the Rankings
UCLA enters the week ranked No. 8 in the nation with a season average of 196.263. The Bruins are ranked third on bars, tied for sixth on vault and 12th on beam. Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Kyla Ross are tied for seventh on bars. Madison Kocian is ninth on beam and 15th on floor, and Madison Preston is tied for 11th on vault and 20th on floor. Rankings are currently based on average score.
UCLA vs. Oregon State
Oregon State enters this week's meet undefeated and ranked No. 17 in the nation after a pair of dual meet wins on the road and a home tri-meet victory last weekend. The Beavers started the year with a 195.575-195.275 win at No. 8 Auburn and posted a score of 196.9 last weekend, going 24-for-24. Oregon State is led by returning All-Americans Madeline Gardiner, Erika Aufiero and Kaytianna McMillan. Gardiner is also the reigning Pac-12 beam co-champion and was an alternate for Team Canada at the 2012 Olympics. Head coach Tanya Chaplin, a former UCLA All-American and two-time Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year, is in her 20th year as head coach at Oregon State. Earlier this month, she earned her 300th career regular season victory.
UCLA holds a 51-20-1 all-time record against Oregon State and won both matchups last year, winning a dual meet in Pauley Pavilion in February, 197.475-196.225, and winning the Pac-12 title in March ahead of second-place Oregon State. The Bruins last competed in Corvallis in the 2015 season opener, which was won by UCLA, 196.000-195.450. UCLA has won the last three dual meets. The Beavers' last dual meet win came in 2013 in Corvallis, 196.725-196.075.
Streaks
Mikaela Gerber has a streak of 28 consecutive hit routines dating back to 2015. She hit all 19 of her routines last year, including all 14 as the leadoff on beam โฆ Katelyn Ohashi has hit 25 consecutive routines without a fall โฆ Four Bruin returners competed in all 14 meets last season - Mikaela Gerber, JaNay Honest, Sonya Meraz and Madison Preston. Meraz has competed in 26-straight meets, and Gerber has competed in 21-straight.
About the Bruins
UCLA returns 12 athletes from last year's Pac-12 Championship squad, including All-Americans Angi Cipra and Christine Peng-Peng Lee, All-Pac-12 honoree Katelyn Ohashi, and Pac-12 uneven bars co-champion JaNay Honest. The Bruins will have to replace three important seniors in All-American Sadiqua Bynum, All-American Sophina DeJesus and NCAA beam champion Danusia Francis, but bring in two Olympic gold medalists in Madison Kocian and Kyla Ross, plus former U.S. national team member Felicia Hano. Additionally, the Bruins get back 2015 Level 10 all-around champion Macy Toronjo, who redshirted last season with a torn rotator cuff. UCLA is coached by Pac-12 Gymnastics Coach of the Century Valorie Kondos Field, Associate Head Coaches Chris Waller and Randy Lane, and volunteer coach and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordyn Wieber.
Coming Back
UCLA returns 11 athletes who saw competition time a year ago, as well as 15 of 24 routines (63%) competed at the 2016 NCAA Super Six, including five on vault and four on bars. Back in 2017 are Sonya Meraz and JaNay Honest, who ranked No. 1 and No. 3 on the team in routines competed. Meraz led all Bruins with 42, and Honest was third with 36 (all of which were hit). Nine Bruin returners scored at least one 9.9 last season - Katelyn Ohashi (8), Angi Cipra (7), JaNay Honest (6), Madison Preston (4), Christine Peng-Peng Lee (3), Mikaela Gerber (2), Napualani Hall (2), Hallie Mossett (2), and Sonya Meraz (1).
Vaulting Towards 10.0 Vaults
The Bruins will be easing in upgraded vaults during the season. Felicia Hano, Gracie Kramer, Sonya Meraz, Angi Cipra and JaNay Honest have been training Yurchenko 1.5 vaults. Napualani Hall, Kyla Ross and Katelyn Ohashi, have been training the Omelianchik (Yurchenko half-on, front pike). Madison Preston may not need to upgrade her vault, as her Yurchenko layout full (9.95 start value) scored 9.9 in the season opener.
Raising the Bar
UCLA's uneven bars lineup features some of the world's best on the event. Madison Kocian is the reigning World co-champion and Olympic silver medalist on the event. Christine Peng-Peng Lee won a World Cup title on bars in 2012 and has won the event at each of the last two NCAA Regional Championships. Lee performs three difficult release moves - a Ray, a Bhardwaj and a Shaposh half. Kyla Ross was the U.S. champion and World silver medalist on bars in 2013. Additionally, JaNay Honest is the reigning Pac-12 co-champion, and Stella Savvidou placed fourth at the conference championships. Sonya Meraz has added difficulty to her routine, upgrading her Tkatchev to a toe-on Tkatchev (Ray).
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA was one of the nation's best teams on beam last year, and although the Bruins lose 2016 NCAA beam champion Danusia Francis, they gain one of the best beam workers in the world in Kyla Ross, who was the U.S. champion in 2013 and 2014 and the world silver medalist in 2013. Madison Kocian is also a strong beam competitor, earning Top 7 finishes on the event at each of the last two USA Championships. Katelyn Ohashi, Mikaela Gerber and Sonya Meraz are the Bruins' only returners on beam from last season's NCAA Championships, but all three are capable of 9.9+ scores. Ohashi scored 9.9 five times last year and competed her old elite series (backhandspring-backhandspring-layout full) in the season opener. Gerber was solid as a rock as the leadoff last year, hitting all 14 routines and averaging 9.833. In the No. 2 spot, Meraz went 9.85 or higher eight times last year, with a high of 9.9. Also back is Christine Peng-Peng Lee, who owns a career-high of 9.975 and does some of the most unique skills in NCAA, including the Homma flairs mount and a double turn.
Putting on a Show on Floor
UCLA's floor exercise routines are not to be missed. With routines choreographed by Valorie Kondos Field and Hallie Mossett, the Bruins put on a show every time they step onto the floor. Mossett choreographed the floor routines for JaNay Honest, Gracie Kramer, Giulianna Pino and Mercedez Sanchez, along with co-choreographing her own Beyonce-inspired routine with Kondos Field. Leading the returning performers on floor is Angi Cipra, who earned All-America honors with her iPhone routine last year. Cipra scored 9.9 or higher seven times in 2016, with a high of 9.975. Mossett, who is anchoring the team on floor this year, earned a perfect 10 from one judge on her first routine last season and has a career-high mark of 9.95. Both JaNay Honest and Madison Preston averaged over 9.85 with career-highs of 9.925 in 2016, and Katelyn Ohashi and Sonya Meraz each have career-highs of 9.9. Madison Kocian ranks in the Top 15 in the nation and has been the Bruins' top scorer in the first two meets.
Bruins Televised All Season
All of UCLA's regular season meets in 2017, plus the Pac-12 and NCAA Championships, will be televised. The Pac-12 Network will televise eight regular season meets and the conference championships. The Bruins' dual meet at Oklahoma will air on Fox Sports Network. ESPNU will pick up the UCLA at Utah dual meet and the NCAA Championships.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will travel to Tempe to take on Arizona State on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:30 pm MT/12:30pm PT.
Get Social
UCLA Gymnastics has one of the largest social media followings in all of women's collegiate sports, ranking third across all women's sports in combined likes/followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on both Instagram (99k) and Facebook (126k) and fifth on Twitter (14.9k). Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook. Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram and Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics. The team's Snapchat name is also uclagymnastics.
Players Mentioned
