Tuesday, January 12, 1999
UCLA confident despite loss to No. 1 Georgia
GYMNASTICS: Coaches, athletes encouraged by performances,
tradition of late-season victories
By Traci Mack
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The story of the UCLA-Georgia women’s gymnastics matchup in
recent years has been a tale of two dynasties – two years, two
meets, two NCAA champions. On Sunday night, the tradition looked to
be well on its way toward continuing, as the No. 1 ranked Gym Dogs
eked out a hard-fought victory over the No. 3 Bruins,
195.8-193.5.
Not that the Bruins thought it would be easy. Georgia returned
five gymnasts with sixteen All-American honors among them. To their
credit, the Bruins countered with six returning All-Americans and
five former national team members. Even though UCLA lost, head
coach Valorie Kondos couldn’t hardly be happier with her team’s
showing.
"I didn’t even realize how good we were until tonight," said
Kondos. "We were great – almost scary good. Before this, I thought
we were definitely one of the top 10 teams in the country. Now I
think we’re the top team."
It was a case of the Bruins nipping at the Dogs’ heels
throughout the meet, as the squads seemed to post one impressive
performance after another. The match started off with a bang, as
sophomore Mohini Bhardwaj executed a Yurchenko layout with a half
twist perfectly, earning a 10.0 on her first attempt. Her second
vault was good for a 9.90, giving her an average of 9.95 on the
meet. An All-American in the event, Bhardwaj tied the personal
record she set at last year’s national championships.
"I felt really good today on the vault," said Bhardwaj. "I was
looking forward to it; it’s my favorite event."
Even the opposing coach had to agree that the thunderous
applause that greeted Bhardwaj as she stuck her pinpoint landing
was not unwarranted.
"As far as I’m concerned, that vault was a 10-plus," said
Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan. "It was beautifully
executed."
Bhardwaj’s triumph on vault was immediately answered by All-SEC
and All-American senior Jenni Beathard on the uneven bars. Beathard
iced a flawless routine with a double-back full-twist dismount,
earning a 9.95.
The Bruins’ second rotation left something to be desired,
however. Bhardwaj and junior Heidi Moneymaker both suffered falls
during their bar routines, posting scores of 9.25 and 9.35,
respectively. An All-American on the uneven bars, Moneymaker’s
uncharacteristic slip punctuated an otherwise immaculate routine.
Bhardwaj failed to grip the bar after a release move.
"It was a little stressful on bars today," said Bhardwaj. "We’ve
got some really hard skills in there."
Georgia didn’t break stride, however, consistently scoring solid
scores on vault. The Gym Dogs went into the third rotation leading
by 1.025.
UCLA seemed to shake off whatever was affecting them during the
second rotation and roared back with strong showings on the balance
beam, usually the bane of a gymnast’s existence. Moneymaker, who
also holds All-American honors on beam, racked up a 9.85 with an
impressive routine to lead the way for the Bruins.
Meanwhile, Georgia was suffering through a few lackluster
performances on the floor. Karin Lichey, an All-American and
considered by many to be the top gymnast in the nation, turned in
an unusually messy floor routine to the tune of a 9.375. As a
result, the Bruins went into the final event only behind by one
point.
But it turned out to be the floor that was the Bruins’
undoing.
The Bruins’ first competitor, senior Susie Erickson, stepped out
of bounds after a tumbling pass and then landed on her knees
attempting to execute a double handspring double layout. When
combined with sit-downs by junior Lena Degteva and Moneymaker, not
even senior Kiralee Hayashi’s explosive front handspring front
double tuck could lift the Bruins over Georgia.
The All-Around was captured by Georgia sophomore Kristi Lichey
after having never competed in the event, with her older sister
Karin placing second. In addition to winning the vault outright,
Bhardwaj secured the third spot, setting an Al-Around personal
record of 38.800. Moneymaker took home top honors on the beam,
Beathard won the bars, and Georgia senior Samantha Muhleman was
victorious in the floor exercise.
Although Yoculan’s Gym Dogs won convincingly, she felt that UCLA
merits respect.
"(UCLA) is obviously a well-trained group of athletes," said
Yoculan. "You can tell just by looking at them that they’ve made a
commitment to being back on top.
"UCLA is one of the top teams in the country, but they’re known
for that — starting off slowly, and then building to a peak later
in the season."GENEVIEVE LIANG/Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Susie Erickson and the Bruin gymnastics team lost a close match
with No. 1 Georgia.
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