It came down to a tiebreaker between Utah and the Bruins for the third and final spot in the NCAA Championships.
Unfortunately for the No. 7 Bruins, it was the No. 2 Utes that scored higher overall.
When the two teams tied at 196.625, the winner was determined by all six scores from every event, including the falls. Utah took it 234.650 to 234.575.
Coach Valorie Kondos Field was heartbroken that the season ended in such a way.
“It was just disappointing,” Kondos Field said. “You always want things to end in a bang, but as I told the team earlier, we can’t let how we feel right now define the season because the season was great.”
For three of the Bruins, Thursday night gave them another chance to compete. Freshman Vanessa Zamarripa (vault, beam, floor), sophomore Brittani McCullough (floor exercise) and senior Ariana Berlin (uneven bars) will compete Saturday in the Event Finals.
Competing without the whole squad, these Bruins have mixed feelings going into Saturday’s competition.
“On one hand I don’t even want to do it because the team is not there,” Berlin said. “On the other, this was one of my personal goals. That’s the bittersweetness that’s going on.”
With last night being her final match as a Bruin, Berlin said her personal goal was to qualify for the individuals. Fortunately for the veteran gymnast, her high standard became a reality.
Kondos Field said that Berlin hit every event with excellence. Though glad that she qualified for the individuals, Berlin expressed sadness that she will not be joining the squad in the upcoming year.
“Not every gymnast gets to finish their career like that,” Kondos Field said. “For her to hit four great events was just brilliant. The fact that she did is a tribute to her talent and her discipline.”
Though let down by the team’s loss, Zamarripa was shocked that she qualified for three events on Saturday.
“I was surprised and really proud of it,” Zamarripa said. “We did everything we could, but I’m happy to hear that my performance is getting awarded.”
Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana State, Utah, Georgia and Florida will face off in tonight’s NCAA Championships.
Despite not making it to the Super Six, Kondos Field believes that her squad’s performance this season makes a statement to the entire nation. She added that competing with 90 percent freshmen in every meet and making it this far shows that UCLA gymnastics has a bright future.
“It was really a great season, and we learned a lot and got a lot better,” Kondos Field said. “The future is extremely bright. I mean it when I say this was one of the most rewarding years I’ve ever coached.”
Berlin echoed the same pride.
“Like I’ve told the team before, we have all worked hard to get to where we are,” Berlin said. “We didn’t hold anything back and went 100 percent. Whatever we had we left all on the floor. That’s all you can say. It’s been an amazing four years, and I couldn’t have asked for more.”