UCLA gymnasts fall short against Stanford

Junior Tasha Schwikert’s first-place finish in the
individual all-around category was not enough to lift the No. 5
UCLA women’s gymnastics team over No. 8 Stanford on Monday
afternoon at Pauley Pavilion.

Stanford performed well throughout the meet, sticking all 24
routines with no falls and putting the pressure on UCLA from the
start. The Cardinal held on to a slim lead at the beginning of the
third rotation, which was expanded when two falls on the balance
beam, by freshmen Ashley Jenkins and Anna Li, foiled any chance for
a Bruin comeback.

“We were physically prepared for this meet. What we have
to do is get more mentally tough,” UCLA coach Valorie Kondos
Field said. “They all know what they are capable of doing,
now it is just a matter of going out and doing it every single
time.”

Being defeated at home in Pauley was particularly difficult for
the Bruins.

“It’s no fun to lose at home, and hopefully that
will fuel the fire,” Kondos Field said.

Despite Li’s fall, she performed well in both the vault
and uneven bars, scoring a career high in vault with a 9.825.

Stanford improved more than two points from the all-around score
in its last match (against No. 1 Georgia) and finished with a
196.975 to the Bruins’ 195.525.

Schwikert was the highlight of the afternoon for UCLA, looking
confident in all of her routines while compiling an all-around
score of 39.575. Despite missing most of the 2006 season after
having shoulder surgery last December, Schwikert appears to be in
top form once again.

“This was my third time competing in all-around
competition since my freshman year, and today it started to
click,” Schwikert said. Her score was the second-highest in
the nation this year.

“There was a lot of good, and a lot we need to
improve,” Schwikert said, “Our confidence is building
every meet, and we must continue to build on the good.”

Tabitha Yim anchored Stanford with a solid performance, tying
with Schwikert for first in vault and compiling an all-around score
of 39.5, good for second in the meet.

Other standouts for UCLA included sophomore Ariana
Berlin’s season-high 9.8 on the balance beam and senior
Michelle Selesky, performing in Pauley Pavilion for only her second
time, tying her career high in vault with a 9.825.

The team must learn quickly from the meet, as it travels to face
Cal State Fullerton and San Jose State on Friday. As the Bruins
continue through a total of six meets in four weeks, they are sure
to be tested both physically and mentally.

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