Gymnastics emphasizes strong leadoffs in NCAA semifinals

UCLA snatched the Pac-12 championship title behind six big balance beam scores.

But the foundation for the team’s 49.575 – the sixth-highest score in program history – was laid by a single individual: Mikaela Gerber.

The junior, with a mixture of focus and relaxation, led off the rotation and set the tone for her teammates. Gerber’s 9.90 was her second-best score of the season and the first of six 9.90s or higher for the Bruins.

Earlier on the balance beam, heavily favored Utah struggled. The leadoff gymnast, sophomore Samantha Partyka, fell and put pressure on the rest of the Utes to deliver solid performances. A second fall forced the top seed to count a low score – a 9.30 – and put them in an early hole.

Gerber has led off balance beam all season, helping the Bruins average a 49.173 – their second best event.

Coaches attribute the team’s success on beam to Gerber’s assured and confident demeanor. Her consistently solid scores instill confidence in her teammates and allow them to perform fearlessly.

All five of the remaining gymnasts scored 9.90s or higher– including a career high 9.925 from freshman Nicki Shapiro and a meet-high 9.950 from senior Danusia Francis.

“Mikaela, she’s just radiant,” said coach Valorie Kondos Field after the Bruins claimed their 17th Pac-12 title. “She just instills calm for the rest of the team, even in a competitive environment like Utah.”

In college gymnastics, six gymnasts perform in a rotation, but only the top-five scores count toward the team total.

Early falls force the rest of the lineup to hit their routines or risk counting a fall and losing precious tenths.

At last year’s NCAA Team Semifinals, with a spot in the Team Finals on the line, the Bruins failed to hit their first routines in two rotations – floor exercise and vault.

After the floor leadoff, Jennifer Pinches, scored lower than her season average, the team was only able to hit two clean routines.

A similar performance followed on vault.

LaNiesha-Jopré Irvin landed short of the table and three of the remaining gymnasts scored below a 9.8 as UCLA finished sixth in its semifinal and 11th overall.

Now, the Bruins have a chance to return to the Super Six for the first time since 2013. But as the team travels to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete against the top teams in the country, UCLA shifts its focus to starting the meet with momentum and solid scores from its leadoff gymnasts.

“When I’m out there, I know I have to start a great rotation for them,” Gerber said. “When I can do that the rest of the team builds on that and do the same thing.”