Among the lessons the UCLA gymnastics team has had to learn so
far this season, learning to cope with injuries has been one of the
most difficult.
Yet even with their lineup fluctuating from one meet to the
next, the Bruins (5-1) once again find themselves ranked as the No.
1 team in the nation as they prepare to face No. 17 Arizona State
(3-2) today at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe.
The latest disconcerting news involves freshman sensation Tasha
Schwikert, who joined the ranks of battered Bruins after a board
fell on her foot in practice earlier this week. Although X-rays on
Schwikert’s foot came back negative, her status for
today’s meet is seriously questionable, which may further
deplete an already short-handed squad.
Additionally, Tasha’s sister, freshman Jordan Schwikert,
is also listed as questionable as she remains hobbled by a leg
injury, while sophomore Ashley Peckett has been slowed by the flu.
The team will also be without sophomore Lori Winn, who is still
serving a four-meet suspension for violating team rules.
“I still haven’t figured out who will be in the
lineup (today),” coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “The
team has prepared well, but it’s been hard because we keep on
having to put up different lineups every week. We’ll just put
up the best lineup we can.”
Fortunately for UCLA, lineup instability has yet to adversely
affect the team. In the absence of starters, reserves such as
senior Christie Tedmon and sophomore Courtney Walker have proven
more than capable of stepping up and filling any gaps that may
arise. “We’ve proven that despite what happens, anyone
can step in and help the team,” freshman Lindsey Vanden Eykel
said. “I think the varying lineups just serve to add more
character to our team.”
Character is what UCLA will need to display a lot of today
against a dangerous Sun Devil team.
Though featuring 2004 NCAA-beam champion, junior Ashley Kelly,
Arizona State’s once-promising season has been slowed by
consecutive low-scoring losses. Throw in the fact that UCLA topped
the Sun Devils in all three of the teams’ meetings last
season, and the Bruins expect Arizona State to pull out all the
stops in an attempt to save its season and exact some revenge at
the same time.
“Arizona State’s number one goal is to beat
us,” Kondos Field said. “I expect them to bust out and
give their best performance of the year.”
No matter who suits up for UCLA today, its recipe for success
remains the same.
“We’re just going to go out there and focus on doing
what we practice in the gym,” Vanden Eykel said. “If we
can do that, we should perform really well against Arizona
State.”