Upon becoming the 2009 Pac-10 Champions, the No. 7 UCLA women’s gymnastics team has had a full two weeks to train for the NCAA Regional Championship.
Saturday, they will have the opportunity to showcase their talents on the mats in Iowa City, Iowa, with a spot in the NCAA Championships up for grabs.
The Bruins will face off against No. 6 Florida, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 20 Denver, No. 23 Iowa State and host No. 28 Iowa at 4 p.m. Only the top two teams from the regional will advance to the 12-team NCAA Championship field.
“It’s important for us to make a statement to the country,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “We’re going against a great SEC team in Florida. They’re the front runners here. For us to be able to go out and win that region, not only beating the other four teams there, makes a statement for UCLA and for the Pac-10.”
The Gators and the Bruins have a bit of a history in the NCAA Regionals. Saturday will mark the third time in the last three years that UCLA and Florida have competed together in the Regional Championship.
Gator coach Rhonda Faehn was a Bruin gymnast from 1990-1992, and she served as an undergraduate assistant coach from 1992-1994.
Last year, the Bruins placed second behind Florida, 197.525-196.625. Kondos Field believes this year’s matchup will be an interesting one.
“I think it’s great because they’re a great program,” Kondos Field said. “Faehn was a tremendous athlete and she’s a great coach and I have a lot of respect for her. It’s a great rivalry.”
UCLA has won 17 regional titles total, and eight in the last 10 years.
“It’s really important for us to win the regionals,” freshman Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs said. ” We need to show that we’re that good and that we’re up there. We need to show that we can beat Florida, because we want to be on top.”
“There are no concerns for us,” Kondos Field said. “We need to have four great events. We’re capable of having four great events, and that’s our goal.”