For a team that has yet to reach its full potential, the
postseason is looking pretty bright for the UCLA gymnastics
squad.
The second-ranked Bruins, who according to coach Valorie Kondos
Field and junior gymnast Kate Richardson, still have room to
improve upon their already solid routines, will head to Seattle,
Wash., on Saturday to participate in the NCAA West Regional.
UCLA will be competing for a berth to the NCAA Championship meet
to be held in Auburn, Ala., on April 21-23.
The Bruins have qualified to take part in the championship meet
in each of the last 13 seasons.
In order to keep that streak alive, the Bruins must finish in
the top two in Seattle in a field that includes No. 11 Penn State,
No. 14 Central Michigan, Washington, Stanford and Boise State.
Despite UCLA’s high ranking and impressive track record at
the regional meet, Kondos Field refuses to take this
weekend’s meet lightly.
“We can’t take anything for granted,” Kondos
Field said. “We still have to play to win.”
Adding a sense of mystery to the meet from the Bruins’
standpoint will be the presence of Penn State and Central Michigan,
two teams the UCLA gymnasts have not competed against the past two
seasons.
Still, the Bruins are comfortable with their position entering
this weekend’s pivotal match-up against some unknown East
Coast opponents.
“We are going in with confidence,” said senior
Kristen Maloney, named National Gymnast of the Year by Sports
Illustrated On Campus.
“We just have to hit our routines.”
The Bruins (20-3) have made hitting their routines look routine
of late, and at times have shown such poise that it seemed there
wasn’t any room for improvement.
But those on the team admit they can still upgrade their
routines before the championship meet comes around.
“We improved a lot in the Pac-10s,” Maloney said,
“and we expect more improvement on Saturday.”
“We hope to fix the little mistakes from last meet,”
added Richardson. “The goal is to reach our full peak at
Nationals.”
The Bruins may have to compete without the help of freshman
Lindsey Vanden Eykel, whose status for Saturday’s meet is
still uncertain.
Vanden Eykel, who jarred her back on an uneven bars dismount and
has been having a hard time arching her back, will not be competing
on beam, but may still be able to return to bars.