The UCLA women’s gymnastics team entered Pauley Pavilion
wearing floral crowns atop their heads. They left as members of
gymnastics royalty.
Upon capturing their fifth national championship Friday night at
Pauley Pavilion, the Bruins laid claim to the title of the best
team in the history of the sport.
UCLA dominated five other squads in the Super Six en route to a
score of 198.125, the highest in NCAA Gymnastics Championship
history.
“I thought we would dominate, but I didn’t think we
would dominate by that much,” coach Valorie Kondos Field
said. “I thought we could win by four tenths, but I
didn’t think we would win by nine tenths. That’s
amazing.”
This season hasn’t been a smooth ride for the Bruins,
despite their yearlong No. 1 ranking and talent-laden roster.
UCLA’s title performance was an exciting conclusion to a
season that started with speculation of how successful the team
could be with a slew of incoming freshman and the limited role of
its star gymnast, Jamie Dantzscher.
“I didn’t know if we would win the title this
year,” Dantzscher said. “This team was totally
different from last year’s (championship) team. I was injured
and didn’t even know if I was going to be able to
compete.
“We kind of started over and our lineup changed a lot
throughout the year. I couldn’t be more proud of (the
win).”
Friday night, those struggles were a distant memory. From the
first rotation to the final round, UCLA was in the lead as the
Bruins excelled in almost every facet of the sport.
By the time senior Kristen Maloney landed her dismount on the
balance beam to cap the fifth rotation, UCLA had clinched the
championship.
As the realization that the Bruins had captured the title washed
over the hometown crowd, a ripple-like wave of applause spread
through Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins, meanwhile, jubilantly
celebrated in the locker room while Stanford, Georgia and Alabama
competed for the runner-up position.
“It was a special moment,” Maloney said.
“You don’t believe it until it’s over,”
Kondos Field added.
“To set an NCAA record at home, this is what the magic of
Pauley (Pavilion) brings.”
The magic began in the first rotation for UCLA, which had five
gymnasts score at least a 9.9 in the floor exercise, including Kate
Richardson’s meet-high 9.950.
With a comfortable lead over second-place Georgia, the Bruins
headed to the vault, where they had struggled the night before.
Junior Christie Tedmon, who had fallen on her vault landing
Thursday, avenged her fall by fighting through a tough landing and
scoring a solid 9.7 to start things off for UCLA.Â
Tedmon’s grit appeared to energize her teammates, as
Maloney, Richardson and Jeanette Antolin followed with three
stellar efforts, helping the team record a meet-high vault score of
49.525.
“Tedmon came through,” Kondos Field said. “At
the beginning of the season, she wasn’t even in our top six,
and she just kept plugging away and never gave up.”
After a bye in the third rotation, UCLA continued to excel. A
solid 49.425 cumulative bar score allowed the Bruins to increase
their lead over second-place Georgia even further.
UCLA saved its best performance for last, on the balance beam in
the final rotation of the night. Needing only to avoid a fall to
secure the title, the Bruins did that and more.
Freshman Lori Winn started the team off with a 9.875 and was
followed up with a solid 9.850 from Tedmon, who supplied the team
with arguably her best effort of the year.
Antolin and Richardson followed Tedmon with 9.95 apiece, as UCLA
garnered a 49.6, its highest beam score of the year, to finish with
a 198.125.
“We went out and did our best on the beam,” Antolin
said. “We went out and did the routine the way we knew we
could do it.”
Ending their UCLA careers with this title victory are
Dantzscher, Antolin, Yvonne Tousek, Christy Erickson, Trishna Patel
and Jamie Williams. Maloney is a senior, but will be back next year
after redshirting the 2002 season due to injury.
“Our team has worked so hard to get where we are,”
Antolin said. “We deserved everything that we got (Friday),
and I couldn’t have asked for anything more as a
senior.”
Friday’s championship was yet another great moment in the
history of a program that has already had many great moments.
At the press conference following the meet, Kondos Field
attempted to describe it. But she hesitated as she struggled to
find the right words.
“It’s especially …” she began, and then
paused. She looked at every single member of her team, and
smiled.
Then she found the word.
“It’s especially special,” she said.
Everyone giggled, perfectly at ease for perhaps the first time
since the 2003 title.
But it really was especially special. A second straight national
championship. The highest score ever in national championship
history.
Gymnastics royalty, indeed.