Friday, 4/18/97 Stayin’ Alive Bruins move on to Super Six
competition tonight
By Lisa Quon Daily Bruin Contributor A collective sigh of relief
could be heard in Gainesville, Fla. yesterday by the UCLA women’s
gymnastics team as they survived the preliminary round of the NCAA
Nationals to compete in the Super Six competition tonight. Although
the Bruins were expected to easily advance to the team finals as
the No. 2 seed, in the world of college gymnastics, anything is
possible. One extra wobble could be the difference that means the
end to a team’s season. "I think we all sort of assumed we’d make
it to the Super Six, but we didn’t have an especially solid or
spectacular performance," Senior Leah Homma said. "The finals is a
whole new competition, and we plan to get out there, have fun, and
hit every routine." In fact, that’s just what the Bruins did in the
preliminaries. They hit all 23 routines they attempted for the
first time this year. Their final score of 196.425 was good enough
to take second place in their bracket, behind Georgia, which scored
a 197.075. "Basically we knew that if we went in and did our job
we’d be fine," UCLA gymnast Amy Smith said. "We were consistent and
executed well, and there were no major ups and downs." Utah and
Nebraska tied for third with identical scores of 196.025, but since
only one of the teams could make it to the Super Six, NCAA rules
dictate that each team use its sixth athlete’s score to add to the
team total. (Usually only the top five scores are counted in the
overall scoring.) This put Nebraska over the top, 234.725 to Utah’s
234.350, and advanced the Cornhuskers to tonight’s competition.
Nebraska could not be more excited. "What a happy day. We know what
it feels like because we were there last year, coming down to the
wire and not getting in," Nebraska coach Dan Kendig said. "My heart
goes out to the Utah team." This is the first time in five years
that Utah will miss out on the Super Six. Although the team is
disappointed, head coach Greg Marsden is still happy with his
team’s overall performance. "There were some great performances out
there today. We’re disappointed, but I couldn’t be more proud of
our athletes. In the past, we’ve had our share of breaks, but it
didn’t go that way today." For UCLA, however, things have been
going their way every year. Both UCLA and Georgia have now reached
the Super Six in each of the five years since the final round’s
inception in 1993. "We have been fortunate to advance to the Super
Six every year," UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos said. "I’ve never
felt the competition was as high as today. It was intense. I am
just drained." Georgia’s head coach Suzanne Yoculan agreed. "I
think everyone felt that the competition was so intense. There was
so much at stake for so many people. We came in today, not wanting
to win, just wanting to qualify for tomorrow. "We’re excited
because we know we have so much we are capable of doing," Georgia’s
Yoculan said. "I think this season for Georgia has been really
humbling. I mean it’s going to be a war out there tonight." In the
evening session, the three teams to make the Super Six were Arizona
State, which scored 196.275; Michigan, 196.200; and the University
of Florida, 196.075. On Saturday, the individual event finals will
take place. Four UCLA gymnasts received scores high enough to
qualify; Amy Smith on vault and floor, Lena Degteva on vault, Leah
Homma on bars and beam, and Stella Umeh on bars. GENEVIEVE
LIANG/Daily Bruin Any Smith on vault in earlyMarch at Pauley
Pavilion. A College Womens’ Gymnastics Media Guide