It’s three out for Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen

Wednesday, May 1, 1996

All-around streak halted as senior falters in final tryBy Esther
Hui

Daily Bruin Staff

Giving merit to the closeness of each of the individual event
competitions at the women’s gymnastics national championships was
the complete shut out on every event of Kentucky’s Jenny
Hansen.

Hansen, a senior, is the all-time richest woman gymnast as far
as NCAA gold medals go, having racked up eight in the previous
three years, including three straight all-around championships.

The all-around was held during the preliminary team competition
last Thursday night. While competing with a team is generally
considered an advantage in the all-around (because the scores tend
to build), the crowd favorite to win was Hansen, whose team had not
qualified for NCAAs. Hansen hoped to use the momentum from the
39.800 ­ her winning mark in her junior year ­ and the
dozens of perfect 10.0s scored during her collegiate gymnastics
career.

Hansen’s chances disintegrated after she fell from the beam,
which dropped her to seventh place, and the championship eventually
went to Meredith Willard from Alabama (39.450). Hansen, however,
scored a perfect 10.0 on vault, 9.90 on bars and 9.950 on floor
­ so despite the fall, she was only .15 away from Willard.

Hansen placed fourth on floor (9.90), second on vault (9.9375)
and fourth on bars (9.90).

* * *

Missing from the final scoresheet in the balance beam
competition was UCLA’s first-team All-American Corinne Chee. Chee
had qualified to the finals along with teammates Luisa Portocarrero
and Stella Umeh (who went on to repeat last year’s tie for second
place with a 9.90), but had to forego what would have been her last
competition to fly back to Los Angeles for the start of a year-long
internship.

According to Chee, however, the Bruins’ second place finish in
the team competition helped distill the disappointment of not
having a chance to compete in the beam finals.

"I made the decision (to fly back early) when we were still
home, because I knew if I had to make the choice then, it’d be
hard," Chee said. "(Head coach Valorie Kondos) said I would regret
it for a little while, but I would know I made the right decision,
and that’s what happened.

"(The weekend) was amazing, of course. A culmination of my four
years here, it was so nice to end on a high note," she added.

Chee will be working for the Care Extender Volunteer Program in
preparation for applying to physician assistant school after her
graduation in June.

The weekend also helped put a wrap on what has been four years
of solid beam routines at the NCAA championships for Chee, who will
leave the team this year along with seniors Dee Fischer and Kristin
Harmell.

"I never realized that," Chee said of her consistency on beam.
"It never even crossed my mind, and it’s a good thing too; Valorie
said she didn’t want to jinx it. Normally the pressure of your last
meet is too much and you don’t do as well."

* * *

Although Umeh fell on floor Thursday night, which kept her from
defending her floor title, her performance over the weekend was
remarkable considering that she competed despite a relapse in an
inner ear infection and a broken bone in her right foot.

Umeh placed fourth on uneven bars (9.90) and second on beam
(9.90).

"(The ear infection) didn’t clear up," Umeh said. "It was really
difficult doing all-around, and I’ve done all-around all my life.
It was really hard to recover each night ­ I had to
concentrate."

PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin

Senior Corinne Chee has departed early for a year-long
internship.

The all-around was held during the preliminary team competition
last Thursday night.