The No. 1 UCLA women’s gymnastics team made history on
Friday night when they defeated No. 4 Utah.
Competing without head coach Valorie Kondos Field looking on
(she missed the trip due to neck and back problems), the Bruins
(3-0) found a way to end the Utes NCAA-record, 170-meet home
winning streak. Utah had not lost in Salt Lake City in 23
years.
“We were kind of thrown for a loop because Coach Kondos
Field couldn’t make the meet, but we handled it really
well,” UCLA’s Yvonne Tousek said. “To compete in
front of 10,000 people was really exciting.”
The Bruins defeated Utah by a score of 197.225-196.750, led by
an exceptional score of 49.65 on the vault.
The outstanding performance was due in large part to juniors
Jeanette Antolin and Jamie Dantzscher, who each earned a 9.975, and
helped to maintain the Bruins’ lead over Utah. Despite losing
the all-around team scores on the uneven bars and floor exercises,
the second-highest team total on the vault in school history sealed
the Bruin win.
The 2002 NCAA all-around champion, Dantzscher, has begun the new
season where she left off last year. She finished first in three of
the four exercises and was awarded the all-around title with a
score of 39.775. On bars, Dantzscher lifted the team, scoring a
9.95 and receiving a 10 from one of the judges. She scored a 9.975
on the floor to round out a strong overall performance.
Filling in for Kondos Field, the Bruins’ assistant coach
Chris Waller was certainly proud of the squad’s performance
and acknowledged the magnitude of a win against a perennial power
like Utah.
“Two of our biggest (2003) goals were to beat Utah and win
the NCAA (championship),” he said. “There was no panic.
We performed with a calm confidence.”
“I saw how the team turned inward, taking on all the roles
and doing all the different things that Valorie does for the
team,” Waller added. “The team was so dependent on each
other.”
The Bruins’ next competition is at Cal State Fullerton on
Friday. Although the Titans are not one of the many teams ranked in
the top 25 on the Bruins’ schedule, they do have a winning
tradition.
In fact, the Titans were the last team to beat the Utes at home,
right before Utah embarked on its 23-year win streak, and they will
certainly be looking to knock off the Bruins to jump-start their
season.
Another victory would keep UCLA atop the national rankings and
maintain the squad’s unblemished record.