Heading into only their second meet of the season, the UCLA gymnastics team already seems to be in top form as a result of their rigorous preseason.
When the Bruins travel to Cal State Fullerton on Sunday to take on the host Titans, Brown University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, they will walk into the gym with a confidence in their ability that has resulted from four months of intense conditioning.
“Preseason was all about conditioning, and now everyone is looking really good,” junior Kristina Comforte said. “Everyone is super excited for this weekend because we know we will do really well and get a high score.”
The Bruins have topped Cal State Fullerton the last seven times they have faced each other and look to continue their recent dominance as they perfect already strong routines.
“We are already good, but we just need to maintain our fitness and make our skills as perfect as possible,” Comforte said.
Comforte is the nation’s top-ranked vaulter after earning a score of 9.925 in the Bruins’ season opener two weeks ago at the Lady Luck Invitational.
UCLA will also be looking for a substantial contribution from sophomore Anna Li, who ranks in the top 20 nationally in the all-around, bars, floor, vault and beam. For her efforts, Li was named the season’s first Pac-10 Gymnast of the Week.
“Anna really has that competitive spirit, but you can tell she is also having fun when she’s out there,” Comforte said.
The Bruins are also excited to go to Fullerton to experience the quad-meet format for the first time this season and allow many UCLA fans to attend the meet.
“It was a great time when we were at Fullerton last year because the equipment was good, our fans were there, and it was a great competition,” Li said. “We had a blast, and we’re looking forward to the same environment this year.”
The returning Bruins continue to be impressed by the freshman class, who continually add energy to the team.
“The freshmen are so much fun, and their attitudes are great, so it boosts the whole team’s adrenaline at the meets, creating a lot better atmosphere,” Li said.
The freshmen also demonstrated their maturity in performing strong routines in their first collegiate meet, and they will be relied upon to continue to grow in their confidence and ability.
“The freshmen handled themselves really well considering it was their first meet and showed that they are really mature,” Comforte said. “Everyone is getting used to competing as a team and is putting everything together that we have been practicing for months, and I am confident that everyone is going to do really well this weekend.”