Someone will leave Pauley Pavilion Sunday afternoon with their first loss of the season when the No. 9 Bruins gymnastics team faces No. 2 Utah in a highly anticipated meeting of two unbeaten schools.
Utah is coming off of two straight seasons of second-place finishes at the NCAA Championships and is off to a great start this year, already having defeated three-time defending champion Georgia earlier in the year. The team is led by senior Ashley Postell, who has won six straight all-around competitions dating back to last season.
The Bruins have also had a great start to the season, amassing a record of 11-0 despite having only one meet at home. Individually, the Bruins have two gymnasts ranked in the top 10, with sophomore Anna Li at No. 2 and redshirt freshman Brittani McCullough at No. 10.
Li is looking to continue her strong start to the season, already having accumulated four wins on both bars and the floor exercise, in addition to winning five of the six all-around competitions thus far. She continues to improve her routines, recently adding a double layout to her floor exercise program.
“It was a highlight for me to see her perform the double layout in competition after working so hard on it in training,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said after watching Li perform the layout for the first time in the team’s meet at Washington on Feb. 1.
The home meet against Utah will not be the Bruins’ only meet of the weekend. The team will travel to Tucson today to face No. 17 Arizona in a dual meet.
“This weekend could be a little more difficult with the two meets, but travel has not been too hard on this team,” Kondos Field said.
The Bruins have an all-time record of 51-10 against Arizona, but Arizona has a bit of momentum coming into the meet after pulling out a huge victory over rival Arizona State last weekend.
This weekend could also bring the return of junior Kristina Comforte, who has been out since Jan. 27 with a bruised right knee. According to Kondos Field, Comforte is expected to perform on the bars in Sunday’s meet.
While the Bruins are facing two tough opponents this weekend, the team members are more concerned with their performances and team confidence.
“They are still doubting themselves,” Kondos Field said after the team’s meet at California last Saturday. “You have to believe you are great, and there is no harm in that.”