The No. 1 UCLA gymnastics team continued to dominate opponents
at the NCAA South Central Regional in Missouri over the weekend,
posting a 197.725 to advance to the NCAA championships in
Nebraska.
Iowa edged out Oregon State 195.875 to 195.85 for second place,
earning a trip to Lincoln as well.
UCLA led from the outset, posting a strong 49.575 on the floor
routine.
The rotation was punctuated by Jamie Dantzscher’s perfect
10, and the Bruins never looked back, leading the rest of the
meet.
For Dantzscher, her return to competition for the first time in
more than a month was a memorable one. The perfect ten marked her
tenth this season, tying her own school record. In addition,
Dantzscher has not been defeated on the floor routine this year,
with her unbeaten streak dating back 19 meets.
“It was nice to be back out there with my team,”
said Dantzscher who missed the Pac-10 Championships due to a severe
sinus infection. “I’m surprised I wasn’t tired
during my floor routine.”
In addition to her 10.0 on floor, Dantzscher also achieved a
career high score on the balance beam with a 9.925 en route to
winning every individual even except the vault. Dantzscher shared
the beam title with teammate Kate Richardson, who also scored a
9.925.
“I really feel like I do the same floor routine every
time. If I make my passes it’s really up to the
judges,” Dantzscher said. “It’s always cool to
get a ten, because it’s the best I can do for my
team.”
Her 10 was indicative of the Bruins’ consistency all
season long. Though it only hit 22-of-24 routines, UCLA was not
forced to count a fall.
“I think, overall, it was a great performance by our whole
team,” junior Jeanette Antolin said. “We were pretty
prepared coming in. With the team we have right now, if we hit our
routines we should win.”
UCLA used the meet as a tune-up for the national championship
meet that will take place in two weeks in Nebraska. However, the
Bruins expect the competition to be more intense than it was in
Missouri.
“We always try to be able to compete with calm
confidence,” head coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “We
couldn’t have been more calm, and we couldn’t have been
more confident. It was a great dress rehearsal. Our goal was to get
healthy and put up our A team, and we did that.”
At the conclusion of the meet, UCLA’s Jeanette Antolin was
honored as the Western Region’s Gymnast of the Year, an award
her teammates and coaches believe was well-deserved.
“That was one of the highlights of the season,
absolutely,” Kondos Field said.
“I wanted her to be able to understand that that [award]
is voted on by the regional coaches. It’s a tremendous honor
considering what she’s been through.”