UCLA gymnastics fired up for NCAA regionals

Two weeks ago, UCLA gymnastics prepared for Pac-12 Championships riding a wave of momentum.

The Bruins were coming off three consecutive meets in which they posted a team score of 197 or higher. Sophomore Danusia Francis had just earned her first-ever perfect 10 on beam and redshirt junior Samantha Peszek was in the middle of a two-meet winning streak in the all-around competition.

But at the competition in Berkeley – where UCLA had never previously not won a Pac-12 title – the Bruins fell flat, placing fourth out of eight teams and scoring less than 197 for the first time since February.

After that seemingly regressive performance, the team had two weeks to pick itself up before NCAA regionals – the first round of do-or-die NCAA competition – begin this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark.

And though senior Sydney Sawa said the long break between competitions meant the disappointment of Pac-12 Championships had more time to weigh on the Bruins than after a regular-season meet – where meets come every weekend – keeping the wound open has benefited the team more than anything else.

“There’s a new fire and a lot of motivation, everybody knows what they need to work on,” said senior Olivia Courtney. “We don’t want to have another meet like (Pac-12 Championships).”

For coach Valorie Kondos Field, the shortcomings of Pac-12 Championships aren’t something she expects to repeat at this weekend’s NCAA regionals – as long as her team doesn’t have another bad day.

“Pac-12s was a disappointment, but it wasn’t worrisome,” she said. “(The Bruins) weren’t tight because they were nervous, they were tight because they were fighting for every quarter of a tenth – we tried too hard.”

For the season to continue, No. 8 UCLA needs to place first or second of six teams this weekend – and though only No. 5 Utah has a higher ranking, Sawa noted that rankings meant nothing at Pac-12 Championships, and the same could hold true this weekend.

“Every team is gunning for the top two places to go onto nationals – it’s really important for us not to be complacent because anything can happen, we saw California get ahead of us at Pac-12s,” she said.

“Going in with a solid game plan and goal, to play to win and not just to make the top two is really important.”

Kondos Field said the team most likely to play Cal’s role this weekend and upset UCLA is the event’s host, No. 17 Arkansas.

“You can never discount the team at home,” she said. “They’re a well-coached team and they’ve got a great following – they’re really the most dangerous team at regionals.”

Gymnastics: Three Things We’ve Learned So Far

1. One mistake: When the Bruins are “on” and putting up team scores in the mid-197s, they’re capable of competing with the best in the country. But one early mistake can mean a complete collapse for UCLA as athletes focus on not making another mistake for the team – which seems to result in more mistakes.

2. Samantha Peszek: Holding redshirt junior Samantha Peszek from competition until she was fully healed from last year’s Achilles tear and its lingering effects was the right call. Despite sitting out or having a limited role in multiple competitions this season, Peszek ties with senior Olivia Courtney to lead the team in individual wins (14) and earned first-team All-American honors on beam.

3. Senior leadership: UCLA is a team led by its seniors. Peszek is averaging over 9.9 on both bars and beam, Sawa picked up first-team All-American honors on floor for the second time in her career, and Courtney has already won two all-around titles at NCAA regionals. The Bruins have relied on their leadership and talent all season long.