The Bruins finally came up with their first dual-meet win this season after beginning the season with a sub-par start. No. 7 Oregon State performed excellently on Friday, but the No. 9 UCLA gymnastics team performed even better and won the meet.
UCLA pulled off the 196.675-196.625 win against a higher-ranked opponent and set a new season-high in the process. This will improve UCLA’s season average of 195.119 and possibly move the Bruins up in the national rankings.
For the first time this season, the Bruins did not slip, fall or stumble as they hit all 24 of their routines, setting season-high team and individual scores left and right. Only six of these routines scored less than 9.80. The team earned season-high scores in three events: the balance beam with 49.175, the floor exercises with 49.25 and the uneven bars with 49.275.
In addition, redshirt senior Brittani McCullough scored a season-high in the all-around, including 9.90 performances in the floor exercise and the balance beam, the latter of which the Bruins have been improving on during the not-so-hot start of the season.
McCullough’s superb scores were critical for the Bruins’ victory. The floor exercise and balance beam were the last two events out of four total. The Bruins were behind the Beavers by a slim margin, and her performances resulted in not only excellent individual scores, but also the difference in the meet. Her 9.90 performance on beam, the Bruins’ last event, was her season-high, and it matched her career-high.
McCullough and junior Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs each earned 39.40 to tie for second in the all-around behind Oregon State junior Leslie Mak’s career-high performance of 39.45.
The Beavers’ 196.625 was their season-high overall score as well.
For this meet, coach Valorie Kondos Field opted to stick to a more experienced lineup of gymnasts, inserting only two freshmen and one sophomore with five upperclassmen. The more experienced lineup appeared to pay off for the Bruins as they finally pulled out a win and set many season records on the way.
This meet could be a step in the right direction for the Bruins, as they prepare to meet Stanford and Oregon State again on Feb. 11 in Chicago at the IGI/Chicago Style Classic.
Compiled by Patricia Lee, Bruin Sports contributor.