As Brittani McCullough strutted in a wide circle on the blue spring floor with her head held high and an expression of unwavering confidence, an excited crowd of 5,128 fans rose to its feet in a deafening ovation.
The redshirt junior’s floor routine, with no shortage of attitude, produced a career high score of 9.900 and plenty of smiles from the UCLA bench as the Bruins clinched a win over Utah.
On a day when everything seemed to go in the Bruins’ favor, No. 5 UCLA defeated No. 2 Utah 196.600-195.125, hitting all 24 routines as they swept the Utes in both individual and team titles. Five UCLA gymnasts notched scores of at least 9.9 while Utah’s highest individual score was a 9.875.
“Coming back from so many injuries and starting off the season this way was really exciting,” McCullough said. “The crowd was really supportive, and my team was amazing, so this is really exciting.”
The decisive 1.475 point difference between the Bruins’ and the Utes’ team total was uncharacteristic of previous matchups. In both the preliminaries of the NCAA Championships and last year’s season opener, Utah’s margin of victory was a 10th of a point or less.
Coach Valorie Kondos Field believes that UCLA’s win is indicative of a dominant season ahead.
“This is one of the biggest meets we have had in perhaps five or six years.” Kondos Field said. “I feel like we are back as a powerhouse. I feel obviously like we prepared well. Our athletes competed with calm and confidence, which is my goal every year. It’s really not about beating Utah, it’s about performing well.”
Sophomore Tauny Frattone achieved a new career high on vault with a 9.900 compared to her previous career mark of 9.875 and recorded an impressive 9.8 in her first competitive routine on uneven bars.
“It feels amazing,” Frattone said on breaking her record. “I have just been training a lot and preparing for this moment. It’s only going to get better from here, so it’s exciting.”
Senior Anna Li returned as an all-around competitor for the first time since 2008, scoring a 39.325 for a second-place finish behind Bruin sophomore Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs in the individual all-around. Li’s score of 9.950 on uneven bars was the highest score of all four events in the competition and broke her 2009 record of 9.900.
“I’m glad I performed the way I have been training,” Li said. “When I landed I just knew that I had accomplished what I had been working so hard for.”
In her Bruin debut, freshman Lichelle Wong from Ossendrecht, Netherlands, scored a solid 9.850 on uneven bars and 9.750 on floor as a late substitution for junior Mizuki Sato.
“This is a big meet for Lichelle Wong because she has been extremely nervous about being able to live up to the hype,” Kondos Field said. “She doesn’t think that she is good enough to be on this team, and I hope after tonight that she realizes that she is.”
Kondos Field said that the Bruins’ performance against Utah shows that UCLA is back as a powerhouse, especially in the Pac-10.
“We are starting off on a good note, and everybody looks super strong,” Frattone said. “We are going to do well just by keeping everything up in the gym and training the way that we are. In competition, we just have to make sure we don’t give away the little things.”