The seniors on the UCLA gymnastics team made sure their last
regular season home meet would be a memorable one.
UCLA rallied behind its seniors en route to a 198.325-195.725
victory over Michigan on Sunday at Pauley Pavilion in front of
3,457 spectators.
Senior Jeanette Antolin and freshman Ashley Peckett started
things off strong for the Bruins, with Antolin recording a perfect
10.0 on the vault ““ her ninth career perfect 10.0 on the
apparatus ““ and Peckett garnering a 9.950 for her effort.
“You always want to go out and do your best for the last
meet of the season,” Antolin said.Â
UCLA’s success on the vault, coupled with Michigan’s
poor performance on the bars, led to a 49.500-49.150 edge for UCLA
after one rotation.
The Bruins would go on to widen the gap between the two teams
during the second rotation, in which seniors Yvonne Tousek and
Kristen Maloney scored 10.0 and 9.950, respectively, on the bars,
while Michigan gymnasts Clare Flannery and Lindsey Bruck both
recorded falls on their vault landings.
“The 10 was exciting,” Tousek
said. “Every time someone gets a 10, it’s
exciting.
“We did well today, and we’re working towards
reaching our peak.”
The Bruins took to the beam for the third routine and were led
by Maloney and sophomore Kate Richardson’s 9.950’s.
By the start of the fourth rotation, UCLA held a nearly
insurmountable lead of 148.625-146.450.
UCLA sealed the victory with a strong floor performance, which
earned the Bruins a 49.700 team score on the event, including
Antolin’s second 10.0 of the night and senior Jamie
Dantzscher’s 9.975.
“It was a great way to end a great career,” Antolin
said of her two perfect scores and first-place all-around finish.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
“I was very pleased with (the team),” coach Valorie
Kondos Field said.
“It was nice to see the depth of the team,” Kondos
Field added, referring to the late substitutions she had to make
due to injuries.
The meet was immediately followed by a ceremony honoring the
Bruins’ seven departing seniors, which consisted of a video
montage of their respective UCLA careers and caused tears to flow
throughout the team.
“I tried to hold myself together,” Tousek
said. “The highlight video was amazing. The past
four years have been great, and we’re like a real family.
“It was a great way to finish off at Pauley
Pavilion.”
The Bruins’ next meet will be Friday at Florida. It is
their last regular season meet of the year.