UCLA
North Carolina
UCLA Hosts UNC Sunday for Senior Day
March 09, 2017 | Gymnastics
#4 UCLA vs. North Carolina
Sunday, Mar. 12 - 12pm PT (Pauley Pavilion)
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Rich Burk, Samantha Peszek)
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets
Online: pac-12.com/now
Live Stats: uclabruins.com
Twitter: @uclagymnastics
Regular Season Finale Sunday
No. 4 UCLA (8-2, 5-1 in the Pac-12) will host North Carolina (11-3) on Sunday, Mar. 12 at 12pm in the regular season finale in Pauley Pavilion. The meet will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks, with Rich Burk and UCLA alumna and three-time NCAA champion Samantha Peszek on the call. UCLA will be looking to complete a perfect home season, as the Bruins have won all five previous home meets this year.
Meet Timeline
10:45 am - Doors Open
11:45 am - Pre-meet entertainment/Be in your seats
11:48 am - National Anthem (Hallie Mossett, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Alex Waller)
11:52 am - Introductions
12:00 pm - Meet Begins
1:45 pm (approximately) - Senior Day ceremonies
Clear Bag Policy in Effect at Pauley
Enhanced screening procedures have been implemented at Pauley Pavilion. The Clear Bag Policy limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into Pauley Pavilion. The policy is designed to provide more consistent screening and to expedite fan entry. Increased screening through the use of electronic security equipment will be used at all entry gates. Leaving bags in cars is recommended. For more information, visit uclabruins.com/pauleygamedayinfo.
Tickets and Promotions
Tickets for the UCLA-UNC meet are on sale now at the UCLA Central Ticket Office and on Ticketmaster. Use the offer code "SENIOR" to unlock special $4 tickets. As always, UCLA students are free with ID and eligible to win a raffle prize each home meet. This week's prizes are an Apple Watch and Mammoth Mountain passes.
Follow Live
Live stats will be available at uclabruins.com. Live updates can be found on Twitter: @UCLAGymnastics.
Senior Salute
UCLA senior gymnasts Angi Cipra, Mikaela Gerber, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Hallie Mossett, team manager Alex Waller and volunteer assistant coach Jordyn Wieber will be honored in a special post-meet ceremony as part of the Bruins' Senior Day festivities. This senior class helped UCLA win the 2016 Pac-12 Championship and has helped usher in record numbers to UCLA Gymnastics meets. Together, they have combined to earn five All-America honors and seven Scholastic All-America honors.
Bruins Welcome Back Amy Smith
North Carolina Associate Head Coach Amy Smith returns to Westwood, which she called home from 1995-97 as a gymnast and in 2012 as a volunteer assistant coach. Smith, a three-time All-American, led UCLA to its first-ever NCAA Championship in 1997.
UCLA Defeats Cal, 197.525-196.8
Katelyn Ohashi became the fourth Bruin to score a perfect 10 this season, earning a 10.0 on the balance beam to help the No. 4 Bruins defeat No. 19 California, 197.525-196.800, in front of a new UCLA Women's Gymnastics dual meet record crowd of 12,576 in Pauley Pavilion. Two other Bruins came close to perfection, as Christine Peng-Peng Lee scored 9.975 on both uneven bars and balance beam, and Kyla Ross nearly scored her third 10 of the season on bars, earning a 9.975. UCLA started a little slow, scoring 49.1 on vault, matching Cal's first rotation score on bars, but the Bruins pulled away with scores of 49.55 on bars and beam. UCLA closed on floor exercise with a 49.325, led by Ohashi's meet-winning 9.925.
Pauley Packed
UCLA's dual meet against Cal on Mar. 5 was historic, as a new Pauley Pavilion women's gymnastics record 12,576 fans were in attendance to see the Bruins top the Bears. UCLA is averaging a program-best 7,373 fans so far this season.
Ohashi Named Pac-12 Specialist of Week
Katelyn Ohashi earned her second Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award this season after scoring a perfect 10 on balance beam during UCLA's win over Cal. Ohashi won both events that she competed, nabbing her first career perfect 10 on beam and recording a career-high 9.925 on floor. Ohashi, who now ranks fifth in the nation on beam, has scored 9.9 or higher on her last five beam routines, averaging 9.955 over those five routines. She is also averaging 9.855 on floor in her last five meets.
Ross Ranked No. 1 on Bars
With two perfect 10s and two 9.975s among her coutning scores, freshman Kyla Ross remains ranked No. 1 in the nation on uneven bars. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and 2013 World silver medalist has a RQS of 9.965 and is averaging 9.963 in her last four meets. She is also ranked in the Top 15 on beam (No. 7) and vault (No. 14).
10.0 Club
Four Bruins have joined the 10.0 club this season, as Kyla Ross (Jan. 28, Feb. 18, Feb. 20), Madison Kocian (Feb. 11), Christine Peng-Peng Lee (Feb. 11) and Katelyn Ohashi (Mar. 5) have all scored perfect 10s. The four perfect 10 scorers this season are the most by a Bruin team since 2004, when five different gymnasts scored 10s (Jeanette Antolin, Jamie Dantzscher, Kristen Maloney, Kate Richardson and Yvonne Tousek).
All told, 29 different UCLA gymnasts have scored a total of 110 perfect 10s over the years. Twelve have totaled 24 perfect 10s on uneven bars, and seven have scored 11 perfect 10s on balance beam. Ross, Kocian and Lee are the first Bruin trio to score perfect 10s on the same event in one year since Richardson, Antolin and Maloney all did so on vault in 2004. Ross and Ohashi are the first pair of Bruins to score perfect 10s on beam in the same season since Maloney and Mohini Bhardwaj in 2001.
Perfect Scores Abound for Ross
Freshman Kyla Ross, a member of the gold medal-winning 2012 U.S. Olympic team and a five-time World medalist, has performed eight routines in her last seven meets that have earned at least one perfect score. Ross has scored two perfect 10s on bars, both on the road, and scored her first perfect 10 on beam at home on Feb. 20. Only one other gymnast in the nation has more perfect 10s than Ross this season - Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols, who has five.
Ross' first perfect 10 came on Jan. 28 at Oregon State on uneven bars, and her second was earned on bars again at Utah on Feb. 18. She nabbed her first 10 on beam in the Bruins' tri-meet on Feb. 20, giving her two 10s in less than 48 hours. Ross also has two 9.975s - one on beam on Feb. 4 and another on bars on Feb. 11 - and has also scored 9.925 on her 9.95 start-valued vault in two meets, receiving the maximum 9.95 score from one of the two judges. Ross is the first Bruin gymnast to score three 10s in a season since Tasha Schwikert in 2005.
Mossett Becomes Latest Bruin to Go Viral
For the second year in a row, a UCLA floor exercise routine has gone viral. This year's viral sensation is Hallie Mossett, whose floor routine set to Beyoncé music (Formation, Partition and Single Ladies) has been posted all over social media (nearly 4 million views on Facebook) and in the mainstream media by Entertainment Weekly, Cosmo and Time.com.
A Look at the Tar Heels
North Carolina ranks No. 33 nationally and No. 25 on balance beam. Junior Morgan Lane ranks No. 19 in the nation in the all-around with a RQS of 39.265. She has competed all-around in all eight of the Tar Heels' meets this season and is averaging 39.163, with a high of 39.350. Freshman Khazia Hislop, who is averaging 9.8 or better on beam and floor, was named the EAGL Rookie of the Week for the fifth time this week.
In the Rankings
UCLA remains ranked No. 4 in the nation with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 197.445. UCLA is second on bars, third on beam, sixth on vault and tied for seventh on floor. Kyla Ross is ranked No. 1 on bars for the second-straight week and is also Top 15 on her other two events, ranking seventh on beam and tied for 14th on vault. Madison Kocian ranks fifth in the all-around, tied for eighth on floor, and tied for 16th on beam. UCLA has three Bruins in the Top 3 on bars - No. 1 Ross and No. 3 Christine Peng-Peng Lee. On beam, four Bruins are in the Top 20 - No. 5 Katelyn Ohashi, No. 7 Ross, No. 11 Lee, No. 16 Kocian. National rankings are based on Regional Qualifying Score, which takes the team's Top 3 away scores plus three other scores, drops the high and averages the remaining five scores.
Streaks
UCLA has scored 49+ on vault and bars in every meet this season. Dating back to last year, the Bruins have gone 49+ on vault in 10 straight meets and on bars in 11 straight meets … UCLA has scored 49+ on beam in its last eight meets … Mikaela Gerber has a streak of 32 consecutive hit routines dating back to 2015. She hit all 19 of her routines last year, including 14 as the leadoff on beam … Sonya Meraz has competed in 33-straight meets, and JaNay Honest has competed in 23-straight … Madison Kocian competed on 24 consecutive events, going all-around in the first six meets before being held to just bars and beam at the Bruins' tri-meet on Feb. 20.
Vaulting Upwards
Although the Bruins have only thrown a total of three 10.0 start-value vaults all season (all by Gracie Kramer), the team holds a season average of 49.225 and a high of 49.5 set Feb. 11. UCLA has scored 49+ on vault in every meet this season. Madison Preston has the team's highest vault score of the season with a 9.95. Kyla Ross has two 9.925s and two 9.9s and averages 9.886. Kramer scored a career-high 9.925 on her Yurchenko 1.5 on Feb. 11. Seven Bruins are averaging 9.8 or higher on vault this season - Ross (9.886), Angi Cipra (9.850), Madison Kocian (9.853), Preston (9.842), Felicia Hano (9.825), Sonya Meraz (9.804) and Stella Savvidou (9.8).
Raising the Bar
UCLA scored the highest uneven bars total in the nation on Feb. 11 with a 49.725 that included two perfect 10s and a 9.975. Three Bruins have scored four perfect 10s this year. Kyla Ross recorded the first in the nation on bars on Jan. 28 at Oregon State and her second one at Utah on Feb. 18. Madison Kocian and Christine Peng-Peng Lee each earned a perfect score against Stanford on Feb. 11. Lee and Ross lead the team in uneven bars victories with six each. Ross, a World silver medalist on bars, ranks No. 1 in the nation on this event and has scored a national-best two perfect 10s on bars. Lee, who ranks third in the nation, has a bar routine that is widely considered one of the most dynamic in the NCAA. She performs three difficult release moves in her routine - a Ray (toe-on Tkatchev), a Bhardwaj (full-twisting Pak salto) and a Shaposh half. Kocian is the reigning World co-champion and Olympic silver medalist on the event and has a perfect 10 to her credit this year. Additionally, JaNay Honest is the reigning Pac-12 co-champion with a career-high score of 9.95, and Stella Savvidou has scored a career-high 9.9 at Utah on Feb. 18 and vs. Cal on Mar. 5. Sonya Meraz has twice scored a career-high of 9.875 this season and has added difficulty to her routine this year, upgrading her Tkatchev to a toe-on Tkatchev (Ray). The Bruins are averaging 49.439 on bars and have scored 49+ in every meet.
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA's balance beam lineup is stacked with experienced, consistent, difficult and elegant routines from start to finish. Leadoff performer Mikaela Gerber missed three meets with a broken toe but returned on Mar. 5 to score a leadoff 9.8. She has hit 23 consecutive beam routines and has posted a career-high of 9.925. Hallie Mossett set a new career-high at Utah with a 9.9 and has consistently hit her unique dismount, a side somi to layout full. Kyla Ross ranks seventh nationally and has a perfect 10 on Feb. 20 and a 9.975 and 9.95 to her credit. She was the U.S. beam champion in 2013 and 2014 and the world silver medalist in 2013. Madison Kocian averages 9.844 and ranks 16th in the nation. She has twice scored 9.95 on the road (at ASU and at Utah). Christine Peng-Peng Lee tied her career-high of 9.975 last weekend and has four scores of 9.925 or better this year. Lee does some of the most unique skills in NCAA, including the Homma flairs mount, a backhandspring-two-foot layout and a double turn. Katelyn Ohashi is the highest-ranked Bruin on beam at No. 5 and is coming off a perfect 10 scored on Mar. 5. She has hit several times this season possibly the most difficult flight series in NCAA history, a backhandspring-backhandspring-layout full. Ohashi is averaging 9.955 in her last five meets. Sonya Meraz, who scored 9.85 or higher eight times last year, earned a season-best 9.875 at Utah on Feb. 18 and owns a career-high of 9.9. The Bruins average 49.342, with a high of 49.55 set Feb. 18 at Utah and Mar. 5 vs. Cal. In the last eight meets, UCLA has scored 49.25 or higher in each one.
Show-Stoppers
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 helped choreograph 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 that has gone viral. Mossett just missed out on a perfect 10 on Feb. 25, scoring a career-high 9.975. Madison Kocian holds the team's highest season average with a 9.922 and a high of 9.95, set three times in her last five meets. She has scored 9.9 or higher in her last seven showings, and she has three event titles on floor this season. Macy Toronjo made her floor debut on Feb. 20 and hit 9.9 to capture first place. She bettered her mark in the Bruins' next meet, scoring 9.925. Katelyn Ohashi has won floor in two of the last three meets, and she set a new career-high on Mar. 5 with a 9.925. She is averaging 9.883 on the year. UCLA's floor lineup was bolstered in the last month by the return of Angi Cipra, who earned All-America and All-Pac-12 honors a year ago. Cipra, who missed all of January with a sprained foot, has a season-high of 9.9 and is averaging 9.856. In 2016, she scored 9.9 or higher seven times, with a high of 9.975. Stella Savvidou and Napualani Hall each scored new career-highs on Feb. 11 with scores of 9.925 and 9.875, respectively. Sonya Meraz has a season-high of 9.85, and JaNay Honest has a season-high of 9.875. UCLA earned a season-high of 49.625 on floor on Feb. 25.
Looking Ahead
UCLA will compete at the Pac-12 Championships on Mar. 18 in Stanford. Team seedings will be announced early next week.
Get Social
UCLA Gymnastics has the largest social media followings in all of women's collegiate sports, ranking No. 1 across all women's sports in combined likes/followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a total that surpasses 280,000. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on both Instagram (127k) and Facebook (136k) and third on Twitter (17.6k). Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook, and UCLA Gymnastics is the most followed Instagram team account in any sport in the Pac-12 and the most followed collegiate women's team in the nation. 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
