University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Gymnastics Travels to Texas to Chase Seventh NCAA Team Title
No. 7 UCLA at NCAA Championships
April 17-19 at Fort Worth, Texas
Live Stream - ncaa.com (Semifinals), ESPN3 (Finals)
Live Stats - ncaa.com
UCLA Competes at NCAA Championships
Seventh-ranked and six-time NCAA champion UCLA (17-2) will compete at the NCAA Championships April 17-19 at the Fort Worth Convention Center Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Competition begins on Friday, April 17 with two semifinal sessions at 1pm and 7pm CT. The Bruins will compete in the afternoon session, along with Florida, Georgia, Stanford, Michigan and Utah. Evening session competitors are Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Nebraska and Oregon State.
The top three teams from each semifinal will advance to the Super Six Team Finals on Saturday, Apr. 18 at 6pm. Individual event finals will take place on Sunday, Apr. 19 at 2pm. The all-around champion and individual event finalists will be determined during Friday’s semifinals. Individuals qualify for event finals by placing in the Top 4 (including ties) of that particular event during their own semifinal session.
Follow Live
A live stream will be available for all three days of competition. The semifinals will be streamed at ncaa.com, and the team and individual event finals will be streamed on ESPN3. Additionally, live updates can be found on Twitter by following @UCLAGymnastics. The team finals will be televised delayed on ESPNU on Apr. 29 at 4pm PT, followed by the individual event finals at 6pm PT.
Rotation Order
The rotation order for the semifinals was determined by blind draw. UCLA will start on floor exercise before moving to vault, a bye, uneven bars and balance beam and will end on a bye. Georgia has Olympic order and will start on vault. Stanford begins on a bye before bars. Michigan starts on bars, Utah starts on beam, and Florida begins on a bye before floor.
UCLA’s NCAA Championship History
The Bruins have won six NCAA gymnastics titles - in 1997 at Florida, 2000 at Boise State, 2001 at Georgia, 2003 at Nebraska, 2004 at UCLA and 2010 at Florida. This is UCLA’s 31st overall appearance in the 34 NCAA Championships. The Bruins have qualified to the Super Six Team Finals 18 times in the 22 years of this format.
Individual NCAA History
A total of 16 Bruins have won 31 NCAA titles to rank second behind only Georgia (40) in individual NCAA titles. UCLA has won at least two individual titles in nine of the last 17 years and a team or individual title in 12 of the last 17 years. Since 2000, the Bruins have captured 20 individual titles, the most of any school during that time period. UCLA’s last NCAA championship came in 2011 when then-freshman Samantha Peszek won the balance beam title with a routine that included a standing back full, a first in NCAA competition.
Last Year at NCAAs
UCLA placed eighth overall at last year’s NCAA Championships, placing fifth in the semifinals but just .125 shy of a Super Six qualifying position. The Bruins scored 197.000 in the semifinals, just behind third-place Nebraska (197.100) and fourth-place Utah (197.025). Balance beam turned out to be the deciding factor among the three teams duking it out for third. UCLA started the meet on beam and scored just 49.075 after a few shaky routines and missed connections. Utah followed UCLA on beam in the second rotation and had stumbles on the first two routines, scoring 48.975 as a team. In its final rotation, Nebraska owned the beam, scoring four 9.9s and dropping a 9.825 en route to a 49.45. The Bruins had just two competitors at individual event finals, and Olivia Courtney placed eighth on vault and Samantha Peszek 12th on bars.
NCAA Championship Notes
*Only six teams have ever won the NCAA title in the 33 years of the Championships - Georgia (10), Utah (9), UCLA (6), Alabama (6), Florida (2) and Oklahoma (1). For the first 15 years of the Championship, only Utah, Georgia and Alabama had ever won the team title. UCLA broke the stranglehold in 1997. It took 16 years for another new team - Florida in 2013 - to win a title, and Oklahoma joined the party in 2014, tying with Florida for the championship.
*Ten schools return from the 2014 NCAA Championships, including all six Super Six teams. Returning teams are Florida (T-1st place), Oklahoma (T-1st), LSU (3rd), Alabama (4th), Georgia (5th), Nebraska (6th), Utah (7th), UCLA (8th), Stanford (9th) and Michigan (10th). Oregon State returns to the Championships after a two-year absence, and Auburn is making its first appearance since 2003. Absent from last year’s field are Illinois (11th) and Penn State (12th).
*All Top 12 teams qualified for the NCAA Championships.
*UCLA ranks second among all schools with 31 individual titles. Georgia leads all teams with 40. Alabama and Utah are tied for third with 24.
*UCLA has won either a team or an individual NCAA title in 12 of the last 16 years. p> *This is the first time the NCAA Championships have been held in the state of Texas.
UCLA vs. the 2015 Field
The Bruins have matched up against five of the 11 other teams in the NCAA field this season. The Bruins have three wins over Stanford, two over Oregon State and one each over Michigan and Nebraska. UCLA’s only blemishes this season are against Utah, in dual meet and Pac-12 Championship action.
Bruins Win Columbus Regional
UCLA advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 31st time in program history after winning the NCAA Columbus Regional. The Bruins went 24-for-24 for the first time this season and earned its second-highest score of the year, 197.500. UCLA made a huge statement on balance beam in the third rotation, scoring a season-high team total of 49.55. After 9.8 leadoff scores by Sonya Meraz and Mikaela Gerber, the Bruins’ final four went lights-out. Sophina DeJesus earned a career-high 9.9, then Danusia Francis, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Samantha Peszek all scored 9.95. Peszek won the all-around with a season-high score of 39.675 and also placed first on beam (9.95) and floor (9.925). Lee won every event in which she competed, tying for first on vault with a career-high 9.925, winning bars with a 9.925 and tying for first on beam with Peszek and Francis with a 9.95.
Podium Experience
Although UCLA has not competed on podium this year, many of them have prior experience on podium at USA National Championships or at the World Championships or Olympics. UCLA boasts two Olympic competitors in Samantha Peszek (USA, 2008) and Jennifer Pinches (Great Britain, 2012), an Olympic alternate and World Championships competitor in Danusia Francis (Great Britain), an honorary Olympian and a World Championships competitor in Christine Peng-Peng Lee (Canada), and a World Championships competitor in Mikaela Gerber (Canada). UCLA also has two former U.S. national team members in Sophina DeJesus and Hallie Mossett and a USA Championships competitor in Napualani Hall.
Regular Season All-Americans
Five UCLA gymnasts were awarded a total of seven regular season All-America honors by the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC/W). The Bruins earned a total of four first-team honors and three second-team honors. First-team honorees were Samantha Peszek on beam, Danusia Francis on beam and Christine Peng-Peng Lee on bars and beam. Earning second-team acclaim were Peszek and Jordan Williams on vault and Sadiqua Bynum on floor. Peszek now has a total of 12 All-America honors in her career, and Francis has three. Lee, Williams and Bynum received their first career All-America awards.
Five Earn All-Pac-12 Honors
Five members the UCLA Gymnastics team were named to the 2015 Pac-12 All-Conference first-team. UCLA led all conference teams with a total of seven first-team honors. Samantha Peszek received first-team acclaim on vault and beam, her third career honor on beam and first on vault, and Danusia Francis earned her third-straight honor on balance beam. Christine Peng-Peng Lee, in her first competitive season, was named to the first team on bars and beam. Jordan Williams, in her first season at UCLA as a graduate student, earned her first career All-Pac-12 honor on vault. Also earning first-time acclaim was Sadiqua Bynum, who was selected to the first-team on floor exercise.
Academic Standouts
Seven UCLA gymnasts earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2015 - first-team honoree Samantha Peszek, second-team selections Angi Cipra and Danusia Francis, and honorable mention picks Ellette Craddock, Mikaela Gerber, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Jennifer Pinches. The seven Pac-12 All-Academic honorees tie a school record for most in a season. The 2011, 2004, 2003 and 2002 teams also had seven team members earn conference academic honors.
In the Rankings
UCLA finished the regular season ranked No. 7 in the national rankings with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 197.200. 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 finished ranked No. 7 on vault (49.375), No. 11 on bars (49.280), No. 2 on beam (49.400) and No. 8 on floor (49.340). Samantha Peszek ended the regular season ranked No. 1 on beam (9.945), No. 10 on vault (9.925) and No. 20 on bars (9.895). Four other Bruins finished with Top 20 rankings - Christine Peng-Peng Lee (5th on bars and 7th on beam), Danusia Francis (tied for 3rd on beam), Jordan Williams (tied for 14th on vault) and Sadiqua Bynum (tied for 13th on floor).
Bruins Second 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. The Bruins scored 49.275 or better on all four events despite a fall on three of the four events.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 two others with a score of 9.95. Peszek also tied for second in the all-around with a 39.575.
Peszek Named Finalist for AAI Award
UCLA senior Samantha Peszek has been selected as a finalist for the AAI Award, an award voted upon by collegiate gymnastics coaches for the senior gymnast of the year. Peszek has been a valued leader and competitor for UCLA since arriving to Westwood in 2011. She won the NCAA balance beam title as a freshman and has captured 12 All-America honors, four Scholastic All-America awards, seven NCAA Regional titles, three Pac-12 individual titles, and 12 Pac-12 weekly awards, including seven Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week honors. Peszek scored a perfect 10 on uneven bars in 2014 and has career-best marks of 9.95 on vault, beam and floor. She finished the 2015 regular season as the No. 1-ranked gymnast in the nation on beam and also finished in the Top 20 on vault and bars.
On the Rise
UCLA has posted team scores of 197 or higher in eight straight meets and has scored 49+ on its last 36 events. The Bruins have not had to count a fall since Jan. 23 at Utah in its only dual meet loss of the season. The Bruins’ only two losses this season have come in Salt Lake City against Utah, and UCLA’s 17-2 record this season is its best since going 19-2-1 in 2003.
Big Scoring Potential
UCLA has totaled 73 scores of 9.9 or higher in 2015, including 29 scores of 9.95 or higher. The Bruins also have three 9.975s - one by Samantha Peszek on bars, one by Christine Peng-Peng Lee on beam and one by Sadiqua Bynum on floor.
9.95+ Scores
Bynum - 1 FX
Francis - 4 BB, 1 FX
Lee - 3 UB, 4 BB
Peszek - 3 V, 1 UB, 6 BB, 2 FX
Williams - 4 V
Bruins are Beaming
UCLA has scored over 49.4 on beam in six consecutive meets, including a season-high 49.55 at the NCAA Regionals that ranked as the seventh-highest score in school history. Only two other UCLA teams in the 2010s have scored as high on beam - the 2010 team, which scored 49.65 at Georgia, and the 2012 team, which scored 49.55 at California. The Bruins, who finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the nation on beam, averaged 49.45 on beam in their last six meets, with scores of 49.525, 49.425, 49.475, 49.325, 49.425 and 49.550.
Show-Stopping Floor
The Bruins’ team score of 49.625 on floor exercise Mar. 7 was not only a season-high but the highest floor score by a Bruin team since the 2004 team scored 49.7 on Mar. 7 vs. Michigan. Four Bruins scored career-highs - Mikaela Gerber with a 9.85, Hallie Mossett with a 9.875, Sadiqua Bynum with a 9.975 and Samantha Peszek with a 9.95. Angi Cipra tied her season-best with a 9.9, and Danusia Francis recorded her fifth 9.9+ score of the year with a 9.925. UCLA has scored 49+ on floor in nine-straight meets.