UCLA Women's Gymnastics Weekly Press Release • January 11, 2012 UCLA Sports Information • PO Box 24044 • Los Angeles, CA 90024-0044 SID Contact: Liza David • Phone: 310/206-8140 • Fax: 310/825-8664 • Email: [email protected] Website: www.uclabruins.com No. 1 UCLA Travels North to Face California on Sunday Bruins coming off season-opening win over Utah. UCLA at Cal Sunday — Preseason No. 1 UCLA (1-0) travels to Northern California to take on Pac-12 2012 UCLA Schedule foe California (1-0) on Sunday, Jan. 15 at Haas Pavilion. The meet is scheduled to begin at 2 pm. Date Opponent Time Admission is free. Live scoring will be available at calbears.com. 1/8 UTAH W 196.075-196.05 In The Rankings — UCLA opens the season ranked No. 1 in the preseason coaches poll for the sec- 1/15 at California 2 pm ond consecutive year. The Bruins, who fi nished a close second at the 2011 NCAA Championships, 1/22 SAN JOSE STATE 2 pm received 932 points and eight of 40 fi rst-place votes, edging out defending champion Alabama, 1/27 at Washington 7 pm who had 17 fi rst-place votes and 926 points total. The Bruins will face nine of the Top 25 teams in 2/5 STANFORD 12:30 pm the polls this season, including fi ve in the Top 10. In addition to being voted No. 1 in the preseason 2/10 at IGI/Chicago Style Classic 7:30 pm CT national poll, UCLA is also picked No. 1 in the Pac-12 preseason coaches' poll, receiving six of eight vs. Boise St., Illinois, Missouri fi rst-place votes. Cal was picked to fi nish seventh, tied with Arizona State. 2/17 at Oregon State 7 pm About The Bruins — UCLA returns eight All-Americans from last year's NCAA runner-up squad, including 2/26 ARIZONA STATE 2 pm reigning NCAA beam champion Samantha Peszek and 2010 NCAA vault champion Vanessa Zamar- 3/2 at Georgia 7:30 pm ET ripa, who redshirted a year ago with a torn Achilles tendon. Other All-Americans back for UCLA are 3/11 OKLAHOMA 2 pm 10-time All-American Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs, two-time honoree Aisha Gerber, 2011 Pac-10 Freshman 3/24 at Pac-12 Championships TBD of the Year Olivia Courtney, Monique De La Torre, Tauny Frattone and Sydney Sawa. The Bruins also 4/7 at NCAA Regionals TBD bring in an outstanding freshman class, led by 2010 U.S. fl oor exercise champion and World Cham- NCAA Championships - Duluth, GA pionships silver medalist Mattie Larson, as well as U.S. national team member Cassie Whitcomb. 4/20 NCAA Semifi nals TBD The Bruins are coached by UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame member Valorie Kondos Field. She is assisted 4/21 NCAA Super Six TBD by Associate Head Coach and 1992 Olympian Chris Waller. New to the staff in 2012 are familiar 4/22 NCAA Event Finals TBD faces to Bruin fans - assistant coach Randy Lane, who helped guide UCLA to two NCAA titles and Home meets are in BOLD CAPS and held at the John was the 2000 NACGC/W National Assistant Coach of the Year, and volunteer coach Amy Smith, who Wooden Center. All times are local to site. was the co-captain for UCLA's 1997 NCAA championship team. UCLA Season-High Marks About The Golden Bears — Cal returns all but one gymnast from last year's squad that fi nished sixth at the Pac-10 Championships. The Golden Bears, who are now under the guidance of fi rst-year Gymnast V UB BB FX AA Baer 9.825 – 9.375* – – head coach Danna Durante, won their season opener on the road last Friday, 190.375-189.725 Courtney 9.9 9.875 9.4 9.7 38.875 over Sacramento State. De La Torre – 9.85 – 9.65* – Frattone 9.95 – 9.775* 9.875 – UCLA holds a 57-1 regular season record against Cal, with the Golden Bears' lone win coming in 1985. Gerber – 9.9 9.8 9.75 – Bruins Win Opener Against Utah — UCLA took a big lead after the fi rst event with a postseason- Hopfner-Hibbs – 9.775* 9.325 9.675 – Larson 9.875 9.825 9.8 9.55 39.05 worthy vault rotation, nearly gave it all away on balance beam, but then hung on in the last rotation McDonald 9.8* – – – – to squeak out a season-opening 196.075-196.025 victory over No. 5 Utah on Jan. 8 at a sold-out Peszek 9.925 9.825 9.825 9.875 39.45 John Wooden Center. The Bruins started big with a whopping 49.55 on vault in the fi rst rotation, with Whitcomb – 9.725* – – – Wong – – 9.55 – – UCLA's last four gymnasts each scoring 9.9 or higher (9.9 from Olivia Courtney and Vanessa Zamar- Zamarripa 9.9 9.825 – – – ripa, 9.925 from Samantha Peszek and 9.95 from Tauny Frattone). After scoring 49.275 on bars to * - denotes exhibition take a 1.075 lead at the halfway point, the Bruins faltered on beam in rotation three, scoring just 48.375. UCLA held on in the fi nal rotation, scoring just enough on fl oor exercise (48.875) to squeak UCLA Career-High Marks out the victory by fi ve-one-hundredths of a point. Frattone and Peszek's 9.875 routines led the way. Gymnast V UB BB FX AA Peszek Wins All-Around in First Attempt — Competing all four events for the fi rst time since the Baer 9.85 – 9.775 9.85 – Courtney 9.95 9.9 9.9 9.9 39.5 2008 Olympic Trials, sophomore Samantha Peszek won the all-around vs. Utah with a score of De La Torre 9.85 9.925 9.775 9.75 38.5 39.45. Peszek, who was limited to three events in 2011 after suffering a foot injury in the early part Frattone 9.95 9.825 9.85 9.9 39.325 of the season, competed on fl oor exercise for the fi rst time since 2009 and scored 9.875 to tie for Gerber 9.9 9.925 9.925 9.925 39.55 Hopfner-Hibbs 9.95 9.925 10.0 9.95 39.6 second place. She had three second-place event fi nishes (vault - career-high 9.925, beam - 9.825 Larson 9.875 9.825 9.8 9.55 39.05 and fl oor - 9.875) in addition to her all-around win. McDonald 9.8* – – – – Peszek 9.925 9.925 9.9 9.875 39.45 Senior Strength — UCLA's senior class of Kaelie Baer, Tauny Frattone, Aisha Gerber and Elyse Pritchett 9.8 – – 9.8 – Hopfner-Hibbs provided strong performances and leadership in the season opener. All four seniors Sawa 9.9 9.9 9.825 9.925 39.275 saw action, with Baer competing on vault; Frattone on vault (9.95, fi rst place) and fl oor (9.875, sec- Whitcomb – 9.725* – – – Wong 9.85 9.9 9.825 9.9 – ond place); Gerber on bars (9.9, fi rst place), beam (9.8, third place) and fl oor; and Hopfner-Hibbs Zamarripa 10.0 9.975 9.95 9.95 39.7 on beam and fl oor. This was Baer's fi rst time in the competitive lineup since her freshman season * - denotes exhibition in 2009; she sat out 2010 and most of 2011 with injuries. Vaulting To Top — The Bruins were in postseason form on vault in the season opener, scoring 49.55 on their fi rst event of the year. The 49.55 ranks as the seventh-best team vault score in school his- tory and the highest ever by a Bruin team on vault in a season opener. Kaelie Baer kicked things off with a leadoff score of 9.825. Mattie Larson followed with a 9.875, and then it was all 9.9+ from ¡ ¢ £ ¤ ¥ there, with Olivia Courtney going 9.9, Tauny Frattone tying her career-best for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. At the 2011 British Championships, with a 9.95, Samantha Peszek setting a new career-high with 9.925, and Francis won the gold medal on the beam for the second straight year and Vanessa Zamarripa closing with a 9.9. captured the silver medal in the all-around. Also in 2011, she fi nished 16th Frattone, who averages 9.855 in her career on vault, has posted 26 con- in the all-around at the European Championships. In 2010, she won both secutive vault scores of 9.8 or higher and has scored 9.9 or better in seven the beam and fl oor titles at the British Championships and was third in the of her last 10 attempts. She has 10 vault victories in her last 12 meets all-around. dating back to last year. DeJesus was a 2009 U.S. National Team member and three-time U.S. Zamarripa's 9.9 vs. Utah improved her 9.9+ scoring streak on vault to 10 Championship qualifi er. Her top fi nish at USAs came in 2009, when she consecutive meets. She has scored 9.9 or better in 21 of 26 vaults in her placed ninth in the all-around and on bars and fourth on beam. In 2008, career and has never scored lower than 9.8. Her career vault average is 9.919. she was 14th in the all-around and ninth on beam.