UCLA gymnastics nails 15th Pac-10 title
daily bruin file photo
With UCLA having already clinched its 15th Pac-10 Championship in Tucson, Ariz., senior Anna Li scored her first 10.0 on uneven bars in her collegiate career.
By Mansi Sheth
March 28, 2010 9:04 p.m.
After Anna Li chalked her hands to begin her uneven bars routine, she was in an unusual situation.
For once, there was no pressure.
Leading by a significant margin, the Bruins had already secured first place in the competition regardless of Li’s score. The senior could have easily settled for a standard score from a lackluster performance. Instead she chased perfection, earning a 10.0 for the first time in her collegiate career.
“She was the last person up on the last event, so it was just icing on the cake,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “We had already won the meet without her score, so for her to be able to go up and get a perfect 10 was amazing.”
And Saturday afternoon in Tucson, Ariz., the Bruins won back-to-back Pac-10 titles for the first time since 2002-2003, scoring a 197.350 to defeat six other teams for the championship.
After two losses to Stanford during the regular season, the Bruins hit all 24 routines to defeat the Cardinal, who came in second place by a significant margin of 0.8.
According to Li, the team’s internal focus and refusal to be intimidated by other performances was key to UCLA’s success during the meet.
“We just focused on ourselves, and that is exactly what we have been doing in training, and it is what we are bringing to every competition,” she said. “This is one of the best teams I have ever been on and the best group of people I have ever worked with, so I am just enjoying every moment of it.”
Sophomore Vanessa Zamarripa echoed Li’s comments about the team’s success on Saturday.
“We centered all our energies on what the team needed to do to win,” Zamarripa said. “We also really worked on building trust and confidence within ourselves.”
The Bruins started the meet strong on balance beam with a 49.275. UCLA’s first rotation was their best of the competition, according to Kondos Field.
“We started off on beam, and we were really calm and confident,” she said. “The team had great warm-ups. It was a good feeling to watch balance beam and not get nervous.”
Strong individual performances by Bruin gymnasts dominated the Pac-10 competition. UCLA gymnasts won three of the four events, with Zamarripa winning vault, redshirt junior Brittani McCullough tying for first on floor, and Li claiming top honors on bars.
Zamarripa also won the Pac-10 individual all-around with a 39.575 and placed second on beam. But she said she feels that the team’s overall win should overshadow her personal achievements.
“I am just really proud of the team and that we won two years in a row,” Zamarripa said. “That is more overwhelming than me competing and winning all-around today. Winning the Pac-10 championship was definitely the best part of the night.”
Despite numerous impressive individual performances, Li’s 10.0 stood out as one of the main personal highlights of the evening.
“It felt unbelievable, I was so excited. I just knew it was the one,” Li said. “The whole season I have been waiting, and that routine just felt right.”
Li was not eligible for the all-around because she did not compete on floor because of an aggravated ankle, which also kept her sidelined the previous week.
With conference competition now over, the team turns its attention to NCAA Regionals and the National Championship.
Kondos Field said she believes that the Bruins’ performance tonight is a good example of how UCLA must compete to be a national contender. However, she also sees room for improvement from the team.
“We are on the right path for the rest of the postseason,” Li said. “Right now we look great, but we know what we still need to do in training.”
