UCLA
NCAA Super Six
UCLA Finishes Fourth at NCAA Championships
April 15, 2017 | Gymnastics
UCLA earned a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, scoring 197.2625 and improving upon its fifth place showing from last season. Oklahoma won its second-consecutive title, scoring a Super Six record 198.3875. LSU was second with a 197.7375, and Florida finished third with a 197.7000. Utah finished fifth with a 196.5875, and Alabama was sixth with a 196.000.
Bruin senior Christine Peng-Peng Lee scored her first career perfect 10 on beam and UCLA's 10th perfect 10 of the season.
UCLA began the meet on vault in rotation one and scored 49.0000. The Bruins were led by Kyla Ross' stuck Yurchenko full vault that scored 9.875 and Napualani Hall's 9.8375 on a nice Yurchenko 1.5. The Bruins had two scores in the 9.6s, however, which dropped UCLA into third place after one rotation.
While the Bruins were on a bye in the second rotation, Oklahoma began its meet by racking up four 9.9+ scores on uneven bars to pull ahead with a 49.525. LSU, which scored a NCAA Championship record during the second semifinal, had minor struggles on floor exercise, with two scores under 9.8 and a final total of 49.325. Utah scored 49.0625 on vault to move their two-event total to 98.125, while Alabama fell even further behind with two falls on beam and a 48.6250 team total.
UCLA's uneven bars rotation got off to a rough start when Sonya Meraz fell on her Ray, but each of her teammates had her back and followed with strong routines. JaNay Honest hit for a 9.85, and Stella Savvidou scored 9.8. The back three of the lineup all went 9.9 or higher, with Madison sticking her full-twisting double back dismount like the World champion that she is and scoring 9.9375, and Ross showing the same form that won her a share of the NCAA bars title the day before and scoring another 9.95. Lee finished with a 9.9 to give UCLA a final team total of 49.4375. The score put UCLA in fourth place at the halfway point.
The Bruins went lights out on beam, scoring 49.4875, thanks to Lee's perfect 10 and Katelyn Ohashi's 9.95. The Bruins also received scores of 9.85 from Hallie Mossett, who was a late sub, and Ross, and a strong leadoff 9.8375 from Mikaela Gerber in the final routine of her career. Lee's 10 was the fifth 10 on beam in NCAA Championship history and just the second in Super Six history. Maggie Nichols from Oklahoma had the first in the prior rotation.
UCLA closed it out on floor with a 49.3375, led by Mossett and Kocian's 9.9125, securing fourth place with a 197.2625.
Team Results
1. Oklahoma - 198.3875
2. LSU - 197.7375
3. Florida - 197.7000
4. UCLA - 197.2625
5. Utah - 196.5875
6. Alabama - 196.000
Players Mentioned
