All year long, there has been one constant, common goal for the
UCLA women’s gymnastics team: win the NCAA championship.
Thursday afternoon the Bruins will kick off in Nebraska’s
Devaney Center in Lincoln, along with five other teams with dreams
of NCAA glory.
The afternoon session will include defending champion Alabama,
with Michigan, Arizona State, LSU and Iowa. That evening, Georgia,
Utah, Nebraska, Stanford, Auburn, and Florida will compete. After
both sessions are complete, only six teams ““ the “Super
Six” ““ will remain to compete for the championship on
Friday.
The all-around champion and individual event finalists will be
determined during the preliminary sessions, with individual event
champions decided and crowned on Saturday.
UCLA finds itself in a familiar rotation order, starting on a
bye before beginning their competition during the second rotation
on floor. The Bruins drew the same rotation for their regional meet
in Missouri, where they tallied a 197.7.
For UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher, the meet will serve as a
stage on which to defend her various titles. Dantzscher is the
current NCAA all-around, vault and floor champion. Dantzscher is
coming off a strong regional meet after battling injuries for much
of the year. A now healthy Dantzscher spells trouble for
opponents.
UCLA has not won the NCAA championship since their 2001
campaign, during which they successfully defended their title from
the previous year. The back-to-back championships are evidence of
the small circle of power that exists within NCAA women’s
gymnastics. Only four teams have won an NCAA titles in the 21 years
it has been in existence. Utah has won nine times, Georgia five,
Alabama four, and UCLA three.
Further proof of the elitism of gymnastics programs is the fact
that each of last year’s “Super Six” teams is
returning to the national championship arena this year. Of those
teams, UCLA has proven its worth as the strongest program in the
nation, claiming three titles since 1997 and sitting atop the
national rankings for the majority of this season.
This NCAA title would be extra special to the Bruins. Should
they win the title in Nebraska, they will have the chance to defend
their crown on their home court; next year’s championships
will be held in Pauley Pavilion.