For 2nd time, Li lands perfect 10
Senior Anna Li celebrates with coach Valorie Kondos Field after scoring her second perfect 10 on uneven bars this season in Saturday’s Regional Championships.
By Mansi Sheth
April 11, 2010 9:25 p.m.
Just as suddenly as the crowd rose to its feet in applause, a hush fell over the arena as Anna Li swung onto the lower bar to begin her routine.
The 3,143 fans fell silent as the senior flipped and flew in the air with unmatched grace. As soon as her feet effortlessly hit the ground, Pauley Pavilion exploded into thunderous applause, anticipating Li’s second consecutive perfect score on the apparatus.
Li would do just that, earning her second 10.0 on bars this season. She also scored a career high 9.950 on vault and set a career all-around record of 39.65, in her last competition in Pauley Pavilion.
“I never really think about scoring,” said Li on getting back-to-back perfect scores. “I didn’t think about last week or the score I wanted tonight. I try to focus on only one thing which can be as simple as pointing my toes throughout the routine.”
The team’s only senior helped UCLA win its 18th regional championship Saturday and qualify for the NCAA Championships with a score of 197.825. The Bruins’ team total was the highest in the nation for the second consecutive week as UCLA set a season-high of 49.550 on vault and tied its season-best on bars.
The team has shown steady improvement throughout the post-season, scoring nearly half a point higher than they did in the Pac-10 championships.
“I think that we are just a little cleaner, by a quarter of a tenth or a half a tenth,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said. “If you just get a little bit straighter or have your feet just a little bit more pointed then you are going to get a 9.975 instead of a 9.95. We were able to avoid those small deductions throughout all 24 routines.”
Stellar all-around performances from Li and sophomores Vanessa Zamarripa and Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs anchored the Bruins’ win and solidified their positions as top all-around competitors going into the NCAA Championship. All three gymnasts had individual all-around scores of 39.6 or higher; Zamarripa’s 9.675 won the meet.
Despite her ranking as the top all-around gymnast in the nation, the reigning Pac-10 all-around champion does not feel she is the favorite at nationals.
“There are a lot of great gymnasts out there and I don’t really know (if I will win),” said Zamarripa. “I am just hoping to go out there and do my best and for the team to do our best as well.”
Competing in every event for only the second time this season, Hopfner-Hibbs set a new career record in the all-around thanks to scores of 9.925 on vault and bars. The sophomore, who last competed on uneven bars during the first meet of the season, received a career-best 9.925 after sticking her landing.
“That was definitely the highlight of the meet for me,” Hopfner-Hibbs said. “Of course the team doing extraordinary was also amazing but personally, my new bars dismount is something that I have struggled with this year so for me to go up there and nail it perfectly was exciting.”
Donning new navy leotards with a streak of powder blue down the sides of both arms for the meet, UCLA started strong on floor exercise, with the final four Bruin gymnasts in the rotation scoring 9.9 or higher. The Bruins never looked back, sweeping the individual events.
The team’s success does not astonish Kondos Field, who has been confident in the players’ ability since the beginning of the season.
“This is what we do in the gym every day in training and this is what we do in meets,” she said. “It’s normal to us by now so (our performance) is no surprise.”
