Bruins dominate quad meet
By Michael Wozny
Jan. 21, 2008 9:01 p.m.
Bruin fans filled the stands, outnumbering supporters of the other teams.
Eight-claps resonated throughout the gym.
The atmosphere was like that of an exciting home meet.
The only difference was that the UCLA gymnastics team was not competing at home.
With an energetic crowd supporting them, the Bruins traveled to Cal State Fullerton and dominated the host Titans as well as Brown University and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a quad meet on Sunday.
“It was definitely Bruin territory,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
“It was Westwood in Fullerton. We had a lot of support from all the fans who traveled, so it was a great environment.”
In their second meet of the season, the Bruins scored a 196.125, far out-distancing even second place Cal State Fullerton, which scored 191.025.
With solid contributions from many team members, including five freshmen, the Bruins gained experience and showcased their depth in every event.
“We were able to rotate a lot of people in our lineup and give our freshmen tremendous opportunities to compete, and they came out and did really well,” Kondos Field said.
“We have a lot of depth, and you never know who you will have to count on later in the season, so the more competition experience they can have now is better.”
UCLA swept the all-around competition, led by sophomore Anna Li’s 39.350 and redshirt freshman Brittani McCullough and junior Kristina Comforte second and third place finishes, respectively.
“Anna is amazing and knows how to step it up when she’s under pressure,” freshman Marci Bernholtz said.
“Every time she steps out onto the floor you can see the excitement that she has. It motivates the entire team to do well.”
Bernholtz, competing on balance beam for the first time as a Bruin, came up big with a 9.875 to capture first in the event.
The Bruins also received three scores of 9.9 during the meet, with McCullough and senior Tasha Schwikert tying for first in vault and Comforte winning the uneven bars competition.
“Everyone turned in an amazing performance and felt really confident out there,” Bernholtz said. “Everyone on the team stepped up when we needed them to.”
The team’s confidence was bolstered by completing all 24 routines without a fall.
“There was a lot of energy in our whole team, and everyone feels really confident,” Li said.
“There are still some things we can touch up on to make our scores even higher but our confidence continues to be built up stronger because everyone feels like they are prepared.”
While their overall routines are solid, it’s still early in the season, and the Bruins can improve on aspects such as landings, Bernholtz said.
Even though they are already producing solid results, UCLA still does not have some of its top gymnasts competing at their highest capacity.
Junior Ariana Berlin is still recovering from offseason surgery and was limited to bars on Sunday, sophomore Ashley Jenkins is nursing a broken toe, and Tasha Schwikert is still not competing in the all-around. Jordan Schwikert also suffered a high hamstring pull that kept her out of the meet.
“We’re still struggling trying to figure out how to rotate our few guns who are recovering from surgery from last year and have not been able to train fully,” Kondos Field said.
“So we’re trying to find that rhythm of giving them enough rest so that they are healthy to compete but also get them in competition shape, which they’re not quite in yet.
“We are such an exciting team,” Kondos Field said. “We have a lot of leadership, a lot of spirit and a lot of respect for each other.”
