University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Utah
No. 3 UCLA Gymnastics Hosts No. 3 Utah in Sunday Showdown
February 19, 2020 | Gymnastics
No. 3 UCLA vs. No. 3 Utah
Date/Time: Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020 โ 3 p.m. PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
TV: ESPN2
TV Talent: Bart Conner, Kathy Johnson-Clarke
Live Stats: uclabruins.com
Tickets: $20 reserved/$12 general admission (UCLA students are free)
Ticket Promo: $5 tickets with Promo Code: PACKPAULEY (BUY HERE)
UCLA-UTAH RIVALRY RESUMES
UCLA (8-2, 3-1 in the Pac-12) and Utah (8-0, 4-0) resumes their Pac-12 rivalry on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3pm in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Both teams enter the meet ranked No. 3 in the nation with a season average of 197.071. The two teams have won seven of the eight Pac-12 Championships, with UCLA taking the titles in 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2012, and Utah winning in 2017, 2015, and 2014. Sunday's meet will be televised live on ESPN2 with Olympic medalists Bart Conner and Kathy Johnson-Clarke on the call.
TICKETS/PROMOTIONS
Tickets for the UCLA-Utah meet, as well as the remaining two home meets and the NCAA Regionals, are on sale at the UCLA Central Ticket Office and at Ticketmaster. Use the promo code PACKPAULEY at Ticketmaster to unlock $5 tickets to Sunday's meet. UCLA students are free with ID and eligible to win a raffle prize each home meet. This week's prize is an iPad.
BRUIN LIGHTS
Fans attending the home meets in 2020 can be part of a light show during the pre-meet festivities. To participate, download the UCLA Bruins app and select Bruin Lights in the dropdown menu. Hold up your phone during the intro video, and the lights will automatically sync to the music.
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Pauley Pavilion continues to implement a clear bag policy which limits the size and type of bags that may be brought into the arena. One large clear bag, either a one gallon Ziploc style bag or a 12' by 6" by 12" clear bag, or a small clutch may be allowed into the arena. Increased screening through the use of electronic security equipment will be used at all entry gates. For more information, visit uclabruins.com/pauleygamedayinfo.
BRUINS AIM TO RAISE CHILDHOOD CANCER AWARENESS
UCLA will use Sunday's meet to raise awareness for childhood cancer, a cause near and dear to Bruin senior Mercedez Sanchez, whose one year-old baby brother Liam was diagnosed with AML Leukemia last fall. To support children battling the disease, we are encouraging fans to wear gold, and gold pom poms will be distributed to the first 500 fans. Additionally, the UCLA organization Bruins Fighting Pediatric Cancer will have an information table on the concourse, and fans can make origami cranes to give to cancer patients at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital. Before the meet, a UCLA Health Kids Captain will be honored and will join the team during pre-meet introductions.
LAST TIME OUT
No. 4 UCLA recorded its fourth 197+ score of the season, defeating Arizona State, 197.200-195.475, on Feb. 15. The Bruins scored 49.2 or higher on all four events, including a meet-high 49.525 on floor exercise. UCLA swept the individual events, and Felicia Hano captured her first all-around title with a 39.100. Nia Dennis won vault with a 9.900. Kyla Ross, who rested on two events, won uneven bars and balance beam with 9.950s, and Gracie Kramer won floor exercise for the third-straight meet with a 9.950.
ROSS NAMED PAC-12 SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK
Kyla Ross earned her first Pac-12 Specialist of the Week honor of the season and second of her career after scoring 9.95 on both events she competed in the Bruins' win at Arizona State. Ross, who has won three Gymnast of the Week honors this year, sat out the all-around for the first time this season and contributed meet-winning 9.95 scores on her two events, uneven bars and balance beam. The event wins were her 24th and 25th of the season (out of a possible 32), and her 9.95 scores give her a team-leading 13 9.95+ scores on the year.
FRESHMEN CONTINUE TO SHINE
For the second-straight meet, UCLA's freshman class has made a big impact, with all three competitors setting or tying career-highs. In her hometown, Chloe Lashbrooke set a new career-high on floor exercise with a 9.9 and also contributed a 9.725 on vault. Lashbrooke has competed on floor four times this season and is averaging 9.869, ranking in the Top 15 in the Pac-12. Emma Andres tied her career-best on floor with her second-consecutive score of 9.875. Her 9.875 average ranks No. 12 in the conference. Kalyany Steele tied her career-best with her second-straight 9.85 on uneven bars.
HANO WINS FIRST ALL-AROUND
Senior Felicia Hano captured her first career all-around title at Arizona State, scoring 39.1. A week prior, she scored a career-best 39.475 against Arizona, recording season-highs on vault (9.9), beam (9.8) and floor (9.95) and picking up her first event titles of the season (vault, floor). Hano's only other all-around performance came on Jan. 20, 2018, when she scored 38.650. She currently ranks 25th in the nation in the all-around and 11th on floor exercise.
AMAZING GRACIE
Senior Gracie Kramer continues to captivate on floor exercise, winning the floor title at Arizona State for her third consecutive win and team-leading fourth victory this season. Kramer, who scored her first career perfect 10 on Jan. 31, ranks fourth in the nation on floor with an average of 9.939 and has scored 9.95 or higher in three-straight meets and in five of seven meets this season.
THE BOSS REMAINS UNBEATEN
Kyla Ross keeps rolling this season, winning the all-around in the six meets she has competed all-around this year. The AAI Award nominee has racked up a total of 19 individual event wins (six on bars, five on vault and beam and three on floor). Ross is averaging 39.692 in the all-around this season, with four scores of 39.7 or higher and a season-best of 39.750. She ranks first in the nation on uneven bars, second in the all-around, fourth on balance beam, sixth on floor exercise and eighth on vault.
FOUR ON THE FLOOR
UCLA ranks No. 1 in the nation on floor exercise with a season average of 49.536 and has five gymnasts in the Top 30 - No. 4 Gracie Kramer, No. 6 Kyla Ross and Margzetta Frazier, No. 11 Felicia Hano and No. 30 Nia Dennis. The Bruins have scored 49.425 or higher in every meet and 49.5 or higher in four meets, with a high of 49.725 against Boise State on Jan. 12. Kramer scored the only perfect 10 on floor in the nation so far this season on Jan. 31, while Ross has a pair of 9.975s. Hano, Frazier, Nia Dennis and Norah Flatley have each scored a 9.95 this season. Every Bruin who has competed on floor this year has a season-high of 9.875 or better.
RAISING THE BAR
UCLA has shown strong consistency on uneven bars, ranking second in the nation with a season average of 49.411. The Bruins have scored 49.375 or higher in every meet, with a high of 49.525 on Jan. 18 at BYU. Three Bruins are ranked in the Top 12 nationally on bars - No. 1 Kyla Ross (9.961 average), No. 4 Margzetta Frazier (9.921) and No. 12 Madison Kocian (9.890). Ross has scored 9.925 or higher on every routine and posted a pair of perfect 10s on Jan. 12 and Jan. 18. Frazier has scored 9.9 or better in all six of her performances, with a pair of 9.95s. Kocian has four 9.9+ scores and a season-high of 9.95. She also has two career perfect 10s on bars, achieved in 2017 and 2019.
ROSS RECORD WATCH
Kyla Ross recorded her 21st career perfect 10 on uneven bars Jan. 18 at BYU, moving into a tie for fourth on the NCAA's all-time perfect 10 list. She is seven away from tying the all-time record of 28 held by UCLA's Jamie Dantzscher (2000-03) and Kentucky's Jenny Hansen (1993-96). Ross extended her NCAA record to 11 career perfect 10s on bars (10 of her 11 were scored on the road). Last season, Ross set NCAA records with 10 consecutive meets with a perfect 10 and 14 10s overall in the season. This year, she became the first gymnast in the nation to record multiple 10s, having scored two in a row on uneven bars in weeks two and three.
GLENN CLOSE TO ELUSIVE LEADOFF 10
With two scores of 9.975 and one of 9.950 on balance beam this season, senior Grace Glenn is inching closer and closer to recording an elusive leadoff perfect 10, a feat that is believed to never have happened in NCAA Gymnastics. Glenn, the reigning Pac-12 beam co-champion, scored her first 9.975 while leading off Jan. 12 against Boise State at home. Two weeks later, she matched that mark at Stanford with another near-flawless routine that led to her winning the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award. Glenn has eight beam scores of 9.950 or better in her career, along with five career event wins.
KOCIAN RETURNS
Madison Kocian made a welcomed return to the lineup at BYU, making her season debut on both bars and floor after sitting out the first two meets with shoulder soreness. The 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist, scored 9.950 on bars to place second and 9.850 on floor to finish third. She competed on bars again at Stanford, scoring 9.9 to tie for second and again did both bars and floor against Washington, scoring 9.9 on bars and 9.875 on floor. Kocian had not competed on floor since 2018, and her last competitive appearance prior to the BYU meet was at the 2019 NCAA final. She is averaging 9.866 on bars and 9.891 on floor over her career, with highs of 10.0 and 9.950, respectively, and currently ranks No. 12 in the nation on bars.
SHAPIRO COMEBACK COMPLETE
Redshirt senior Nicki Shapiro competed for the first time in nearly four years, scoring a team-counting 9.8 on beam at Stanford on Jan. 27. Shapiro competed in nine meets for the Bruins as a true freshman in 2016 before leaving the sport. She returned to the team in the fall following a successful tryout and earned a spot in the lineup for the first time this season during the win over the Cardinal. Shapiro's score helped the Bruins tie their season-high on the event with a 49.375.
UCLA SHOWCASES DEPTH
The Bruins have showcased their depth this season, competing anywhere from 12-14 gymnasts in each of their meets. Fourteen competed in the Bruins' last meet, and two others (Nicki Shapiro on bars and Macy Toronjo on floor) performed and hit their exhibition routines. UCLA's depth has been especially strong on floor exercise, where 11 athletes (Emma Andres, Nia Dennis, Norah Flatley, Margzetta Frazier, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Chloe Lashbrooke, Kyla Ross, Macy Toronjo and Pauline Tratz) have shown floor routines either in competition or in exhibition.
BY THE NUMBERS
UCLA has scored 49+ on floor exercise in 45 consecutive meets, its last sub-49 score coming on Feb. 20, 2017 โฆ On bars, UCLA's 49+ streak stands at 41, with its last sub-49 coming at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships โฆ UCLA has scored 49+ on vault in 37-straight meets since the 2018 season opener โฆ In her last 20 meets, Nia Dennis is averaging 9.873 on vault, with nine scores of 9.9 or higher โฆ Norah Flatley has hit 22 consecutive uneven bars routines โฆ Margzetta Frazier has hit every routine she has competed in her career, with 45 of her 46 routines scoring 9.8 or higher โฆ Grace Glenn has scored 9.9 or higher on beam on 17 of 33 routines โฆFelicia Hano has hit 42 consecutive vaults โฆ Madison Kocian has hit 35 consecutive uneven bars routines, 20 of those going 9.9 or higher, and 22 consecutive floor exercise routines โฆ Gracie Kramer has hit 36 floor routines in a row, with 23 of those routines earning 9.9 or higher โฆ Kyla Ross has scored 39+ in the all-around 32 times in her career โฆ On balance beam, Ross has hit 40 consecutive routines, 30 of them for 9.9 or higher โฆ Pauline Tratz has hit 63 of 64 routines without a fall in her career, including 56 in a row.
SETTING NEW ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Fourteen members of the Bruin squad were part of the UCLA-record total of 415 student-athletes to make the Athletic Director's Honor Roll in Fall 2019. Sixty-two percent of all UCLA student-athletes earned honor roll recognition, with 28 earning perfect 4.0 GPAs, including Macy Toronjo and Pauline Tratz. The 12 other Bruins to make the Director's Honor Roll last quarter were Emma Andres, Norah Flatley, Anna Glenn, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Chloe Lashbrooke, Kendal Poston, Kyla Ross, Samantha Sakti, Mercedez Sanchez and Sara Taubman.
SCOUTING THE UTES
Utah is tied with the Bruins for third in the nation with a season average of 197.071 and has a season-high score of 197.550. The Utes rank No. 4 in the nation on balance beam and No. 1 in the Pac-12 and have posted two consecutive scores of 49.6 or higher. Utah underclassmen have competed 76% of the team's routines. Freshman Maile O'Keefe is the current Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after scoring 9.975 on beam against Oregon State.
NEW ERA AT UCLA
UCLA Gymnastics has a new leader for the first time in 29 years. Following Hall of Fame head coach Valorie Kondos Field as head coach of the Bruins is Chris Waller, who was an assistant under Kondos Field for 17 years. Waller helped guide the Bruins to four NCAA titles during his time as an assistant. In his first season on staff in 2003, the Bruins swept through the postseason, winning Pac-10, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships. Also that year, he was the acting head coach when UCLA snapped the longest home-court winning streak in NCAA history for any sport, handing Utah its first home loss in 23 years. Waller was voted by his peers the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2004 and the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2018. A champion gymnast himself, Waller won three NCAA titles with the Bruin men's team, and he competed at the 1992 Olympics, where he placed fifth on pommel horse.
Waller's staff has a few familiar faces. Associate Head Coach Kristina Comforte is a former UCLA All-American and Bruin record-holder on vault. Assistant Coach Dom Palange was a volunteer assistant coach for UCLA from 2014-16. Also on board is volunteer assistant coach and choreographer BJ Das, a former Washington Huskies gymnast who spent last season as a volunteer coach at Utah.
NEW FACES
The Bruins welcome in 2020 four freshmen (Emma Andres, Paige Hogan, Chloe Lashbrooke and Kalyany Steele), sophomore transfer Samantha Sakti, and redshirt senior Nicki Shapiro. Steele is a former elite who placed 13th at the 2017 USA Championships. Andres and Lashbrooke are both two-time Level 10 Nationals qualifiers. Hogan is a four-time Level 10 state champion. Sakti transferred from William & Mary, where she earned all-league honors on floor exercise and scored a school-record 9.925 on floor in her first meet. Shapiro returns to the Bruins after leaving the sport for three years. She competed for UCLA as a freshman in 2016 and scored a career-high 9.925 on beam.
SENIOR STRONG
The heart of UCLA's team lies in the nine-member senior class of Anna Glenn, Grace Glenn, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Kyla Ross, Mercedez Sanchez, Nicki Shapiro and Macy Toronjo. The senior class competed half of the team's routines at last year's NCAA Championships and have a combined 39 All-America honors between them. Ross has more than half of those 39 honors alone (a school-record-tying 19). She, Grace Glenn and Felicia Hano all won Pac-12 individual titles last season, with Ross winning the all-around, bars and floor, Glenn tying for the beam title, and Hano sharing the vault crown.
NO. 1 IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS
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 followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a total over 750,000. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on Instagram (348k), Facebook (356k) and Twitter (67.8k) and also have 573k subscribers on Snapchat. Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook, and UCLA Gymnastics is the most followed collegiate women's team Instagram account in the nation. Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics.
WATCH THE BRUINS OFF THE MATS
Felicia Hano returns as the host of Bruin Banter, UCLA's weekly interview series. The guest for Episode 6 this week will be Nia Dennis. UCLA also has a bi-weekly docuseries, UCLA Gymnastics: The New Era, created by videographer Deanna Hong, that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the team. Episode 3 of the docuseries is now available. The videos can be viewed on YouTube.com/UCLAAthletics.
LOOKING AHEAD
UCLA travels to Oregon State for a Saturday, Feb. 29 meet at 1pm.
Players Mentioned
