For one UCLA gymnast in her last NCAA Championship and another
in her first, medals for each were the perfect way to wrap up one
successful collegiate career and start another. Senior Kate
Richardson won her third career individual title by winning the
floor exercise. She also placed third on vault behind Bruin
freshman Kristina Comforte, who took second in Corvallis, Ore., at
the NCAA Individual Championships on Saturday. Headed into her last
routine as a Bruin, Richardson, who won two individual
championships as a freshman in 2003, needed to post a 9.9375 to
take the lead from fellow 2004 Olympian Courtney Kupets of Georgia.
Richardson hit a 9.95 with two perfect 10s and sweated out two more
competitors’ routines before knowing she had clinched first
place. “I didn’t want to put pressure on it,”
Richardson said in a press conference. “I just wanted to go
out, and hit my routine and do the best that I can do. I had a
blast. It was so much fun.” UCLA coach Valorie Kondos Field
would have said something to Richardson after clinching the
championship, but she “didn’t tell her anything because
I was crying,” she said. “It was a great way to finish
her career.” After a season filled with turmoil due to
injuries, ending the season on a positive note was essential to
Kondos Field. “It really felt like our karma has changed and
last night was the beginning of next season,” she said.
Richardson felt the disappointment of missing the team
championships but recognized the value of finishing strong.
“I was really excited to come in and have a great day and
finish out the season on a high note,” she said. “We
definitely had a lot of struggles. Not being able to bring a team
to nationals was really disappointing. It was hard, but we made the
most of it. Hopefully this will motivate the team for next year to
go in and have a great season.” With Saturday’s
success, the Bruins have won 26 NCAA individual titles, second only
to Georgia’s 29, but this one, like the end of
Richardson’s floor routine, will stick with more meaning.
“I’ve had an amazing four years,” Richardson
said. “I’ve had so many great experiences and memories
and a lot of fun. Today was just a blast, so it was a great way to
finish off my career.” Comforte, meanwhile, is at the other
end of the spectrum. Competing at her first collegiate individual
championships, she posted a 9.9625 on her first vault, drawing two
10s from judges, and a 9.8375 on her second effort for an average
of 9.9, good for second place behind Ashley Miles of Alabama.
Kondos Field was not surprised at Comforte’s success her
first time at championships, attributing her turning point to the
Pac-10 Championships, when she “became a veteran.”
“She used the same vault she had used at the beginning of the
season,” Kondos Field said. “One that she had gone away
from in favor of an easier jump.”
GYM NOTES: Last year’s all-around
champion, UCLA’s Tasha Schwikert, competed on vault but did
not place. With Richardson’s first-place finish, the Bruins
extended a 10-year streak of either winning team or individual
titles at the NCAA Championships.