The UCLA Bruins conquered two beasts on Sunday in Pauley
Pavilion. In addition to beating No. 13 Washington, the Bruins
finally bested their previous school record of 198.350.
The Bruins employed one of their strongest lineups of the year
in front of 1,353 excited fans, and it payed dividends with a
victory over the Huskies, 198.575-194.8.
“I wouldn’t say we were shooting for the
record,” senior Malia Jones said. “But we’re
always trying to get the highest score we can.”
Jones’ floor routine during the final rotation was a
personal best. She scored a 9.950 and helped UCLA top the 198 mark
for the third time this year.
The high score equals Georgia for the highest score ever by a
collegiate gymnastics team. The Bulldogs set the record at the 1998
NCAA regionals. Unfortunately for UCLA, their name will not be in
the record book next to Georgia’s, because the score did not
take place at an NCAA meet.
“It’s really great, because we’re really
tired,” head coach Valorie Kondos-Field said. “Our goal
for today was not just to hit (our routines) but to put an
exclamation point on our performance.”
The Bruins had every reason to be exhausted after competing
Friday night at Stanford. The squad tied the Cardinals with a score
of 197.45 after coming from behind to catch Stanford in the final
rotation.
UCLA used a 49.575 on beam to catch the No. 8 Cardinals,
including a 9.9 from redshirt freshman Christie Tedmon. Overall,
UCLA tallied four scores of 9.9 or higher on their final
rotation.
But it was a different story on Sunday, as UCLA competed in
their second meet in three days. If they felt fatigued, they did
not show it.
Onnie Willis won the all-around with a 39.8, setting the tone
for a dominant Bruin performance. Willis won the individual title
on the uneven parallel bars, tying a personal best with a
9.975.
“I felt great,” Willis said. “I was a little
tired today because we just competed on Friday, but once I got out
there the energy was great.”
Competing on more than one apparatus for the first time since
Jan. 19, junior Jamie Dantzscher showed the Bruin faithful some
flashes of brilliance; Dantzscher recorded perfect tens on floor
and vault, two of the three events in which she competed. In her
other routine (bars), Dantzscher notched a 9.975.
Dantzscher had been nursing two sore ankles, but decided to
compete in the meet after watching her teammates, who were also
hurt, competing in her place.
“It’s frustrating when I’m being taken out and
the people being put in are also nursing injuries,”
Dantzscher said. “It was good to be back here. My ankle is
not going to heal, so no matter how much time I take off, it is not
going to feel better. I would rather just push through (the
pain).”
The Bruins have a light week of practice to recover from their
busy weekend, then travel to Tempe, Arizona to take on Arizona
State on Feb. 16.