Gymnastics improves to 11-0
By Joseph Kuehn
Feb. 18, 2008 9:50 p.m.
A nearly perfect performance by sophomore Anna Li highlighted what turned out to be an easy 195.225-189.425 victory for the Bruins gymnastics team over California on Sunday.
On the uneven bars, Li received a score of 10 from one judge and a 9.95 from the other for a near-perfect score of 9.975. With the victory, the Bruins remained undefeated and moved to 11-0 for the year.
“As a team, we really are on a great path right now,” coach Valorie Kondos Field said.
The high score on bars helped Li capture her fifth all-around title this year with an all-around score of 39.425.
Li led the Bruins in sweeping the all-around competition, with senior Jordan Schwikert coming in second and redshirt freshman Brittani McCullough in third with scores of 39.250 and 38.400, respectively. The team started out well on the uneven bars, where they posted a season-high score for the third straight week with a 49.4.
“We are getting results on the bars because the lineup has been so consistent there and the consistency is what allows us to get better each week,” Kondos Field said.
The team kept the momentum going in the vault with a score of 49.2 but faltered a bit on the last two rotations. A fall in both the floor exercise and the balance beam led to team scores of 48.0 and 48.625, respectively.
A highlight of the afternoon for Kondos Field was the debut of freshman Shavahn Church and sophomore Ashley Jenkins, both of whom had spent the early part of the season battling injuries. Jenkins competed on the balance beam and received a score of 9.35, while Church performed an exhibition routine on the uneven bars.
“Shavahn Church was able to do really well in her exhibition routine on the bars and received a high score without a dismount,” Kondos Field said.
UCLA is pleased with its undefeated record, but Kondos Field says the team members can still work on their psyche during the meets.
“They are still doubting themselves,” Kondos Field said. “I told them there is no harm in believing you are the best. There is no harm in believing you can be great.”
The team was on the road for the third straight week and travels again next Friday to Tucson for a meet against Arizona, but Kondos Field does not believe the travel has been too tough on the team.
“It hasn’t been an issue since it was such a short distance (to Berkeley), but next week will be a little more difficult with the two meets in one weekend.”
The second meet Kondos Field is referring to is the showdown next Sunday with No. 2 Utah in what will be the Bruins’ first home meet in nearly a month.
Next weekend could also bring the return of junior Kristina Comforte, who has been out since Jan. 27 with a knee injury.
“(Comforte) is doing well, and we expect her to start out on bars next week,” Kondos Field said.
