DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS Gymnastics SID: Liza David For Immediate Release: SID Phone: 310/206-8140 Mar. 6, 2007 UCLA website: www.uclabruins.com #5 UCLA TRAVELS TO #4 ALABAMA FOR SECOND-STRAIGHT SEC MATCHUP Bruins and Crimson Tide have combined to win nine NCAA Championships. UCLA vs. Alabama - The fi fth-ranked UCLA Gymnastics team (9-4) will travel to fourth- 2007 UCLA Gymnastics Schedule ranked Alabama (6-2) for a Friday, Mar. 9 dual meet at Coleman Coliseum. The meet will take place at 7:30 pm CT. UCLA and Alabama are two of the only four teams who Date Opponent Time/Result have won NCAA gymnastics titles. The Bruins have won fi ve (2004, 2003, 2001, 2000, 1997), while Alabama has won four (2002, 1996, 1991, 1988). 1/6 WASHINGTON W 194.0-188.175 Live Coverage - Full coverage of the meet, including live scoring and commentary, as 1/12 at #2 Utah L 195.975-196.325 well as a radio broadcast, can be found at rolltide.com. Bruins Seeking Second-Straight Over SEC - Fresh off an upset victory over second- 1/15 #12 STANFORD L 195.525-196.975 ranked and previously undefeated Georgia, UCLA looks to unseat a second consecutive 1/19 at Cal State Fullerton 1st, 196.05 SEC team in Alabama. It will be a tall order for the Bruins, however, as UCLA has never w/ San Jose State defeated the Tide in Alabama. UCLA is 2-5 overall against Alabama, with the last win coming in 2001 in Los Angeles. The only other regular season victory came in 1984. The 1/21 #8 ARIZONA W 196.75-193.075 last time the two teams met in dual meet action was in 2002 in Tuscaloosa. Alabama won the meet, 197.650-197.000. 1/26 at Arizona St. W 195.725-195.275 Another Olympic-Sized Matchup - For the second consecutive week, UCLA will face 2/10 at #13 Denver L 194.8-194.9 a team led by a 2004 U.S. Olympic double medalist. Last week it was Georgia and Courtney Kupets. This week it is Alabama and Terin Humphrey. The Bruins counter 2/16 at #16 Oregon St. L 196.375-196.65 with their own Olympian in Tasha Schwikert, who was a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team. Schwikert was the team captain of the 2003 U.S. squad that captured 2/25 CAL, CSUF, #11 DENVER 1st, 196.25 the country's fi rst-ever World Championship team gold medal. Humphrey was also a 3/4 #2 GEORGIA W 197.15-197.0 member of that World Championship team and won two silver medals at the Olympic Games (team, uneven bars). 3/9 at #4 Alabama 7:30 pm CT In The Rankings - UCLA moves up one spot to No. 5 in the national rankings with a 3/25 at Stanford 2 pm Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 196.280. The Bruins rank fourth on vault (49.275), fi fth on uneven bars (49.250), sixth on fl oor exercise (49.160) and eighth on balance 3/31 at Pac-10 Championships 5 pm MT beam (48.900). Alabama ranks fourth overall with a team RQS of 196.520. The Crimson (Host: Arizona State) Tide are third on vault (49.320) and fl oor exercise (49.300), sixth on uneven bars (49.215) and tied for 17th on balance beam (48.725). 4/14 at NCAA Regionals TBA Individually, the Bruins have four gymnasts in the Top 25 national rankings. Junior 4/26 NCAA Championships TBA Tasha Schwikert is the only gymnast in the nation who is ranked in the Top 10 on every event and the all-around. Schwikert is tied for sixth in the all-around (39.335), (Host: Utah) second on balance beam (9.895) and third on vault (9.930) and ranks fourth on uneven 4/27 NCAA Championships TBA bars (9.900) and ninth on fl oor exercise (9.890). Freshman Anna Li ranks No. 13 in the all-around (39.265) and No. 7 on uneven bars (9.890). Senior Ashley Peckett is tied for 4/28 NCAA Championships TBA 20th on vault (9.860), and sophomore Ariana Berlin is tied for 25th on uneven bars (9.850). Alabama's Terin Humphrey is ranked No. 19 in the all-around, tied for No. 5 on uneven bars (9.895) and tied for No. 24 on vault (9.855). Crimson Tide freshman Home meets in BOLDFACE CAPS Morgan Dennis ranks No. 6 on vault (9.895) and No. 10 on fl oor (9.885). Home meets held at Pauley Pavilion UCLA Upsets Georgia, Snaps 27-Meet Unbeaten Streak - Behind a season-high team All times local to meet site score of 197.15, UCLA upset second-ranked and two-time defending champion Georgia on Mar. 4 in the Bruins' home fi nale. With Georgia posting a fi nal team mark of 197.00, UCLA needed a 9.775 from freshman Anna Li on fl oor exercise to win the meet, and she came through with a career-high 9.9 to give UCLA the win by .15. It was a total team eff ort, with all eight Bruin competitors making big contributions. Jordan Schwikert placed second in the all-around with a season-high 39.45. Ariana Berlin recorded yet another career-high in the all-around with a 39.425. Li placed third in the all-around with a 39.4, and Ashley Peckett was fourth with a season-best 39.35. Ashley Jenkins contributed a career-high 9.9 on beam to tie for second. UCLA seniors Peckett and Michelle Selesky went out in style, with each winning an event title (Peckett tied for fi rst on fl oor with a season-high 9.925, and Selesky won vault with a career-high 9.925). UCLA's victory snapped Georgia's 27-meet, 57-opponent unbeaten streak. The Gym Dogs had not lost a meet since placing second at the 2005 NCAA Regionals. Jordan Schwikert Makes Successful All-Around Return - Junior Jordan Schwikert, who had been limited to just uneven bars in the Bruins' fi rst fi ve meets due to a hamstring p. 1 of 3 She returned to competition in the last regular season meet of 2006 UCLA Season/Career High Scores and also competed on three events in the Pac-10 and NCAA Regional Gymnast V UB BB FX AA meets. She qualifi ed for the NCAA Championships on vault. Berlin 9.875 9.975 9.875 9.850 39.425 Peckett Picks Up Bruins - Long considered one of UCLA's most con- Career 9.875 9.975 9.875 9.875 39.425 sistent performers, it was only natural to call upon Ashley Peckett to Comforte 9.825 step in on balance beam with the Bruins short-handed the last three Career 10.0 9.950 9.900 9.990 39.525 weeks. Although she had not competed beam since 2006 and had only competed on beam nine times prior in her four-year career, Peckett Dantzscher 9.725 9.900 did not skip a beat her fi rst time out, scoring a 9.775 at Oregon State Career 9.775 9.775 9.775 9.900 39.125 on Feb. 16. In just her fi fth ever all-around appearance, she scored Jenkins 9.825 9.900 9.875 39.25 to tie for second place. On Feb. 25, she recorded a season-high Career 9.825 9.900 9.875 9.9 on uneven bars to help the Bruins record a national season-best Li 9.850 9.950 9.900 9.900 39.550 49.7 on the event, and on Mar. 4, she scored a season-best 39.35 in Career 9.850 9.950 9.900 9.900 39.550 the all-around and tied for fi rst on fl oor with a season-high 9.925. Padilla 9.800 9.750 9.725 9.600 Peckett has hit 91 of her last 93 routines without a fall, including 32 Career 9.875 9.825 9.725 9.850 38.975 of 33 this season. Peckett 9.900 9.900 9.775 9.925 39.350 Li Makes Stellar Debut - Freshman Anna Li made her Pauley Pavilion Career 9.950 9.925 9.825 9.950 39.425 debut a memorable one, winning the all-around (39.0) and uneven bars (9.85) in her fi rst collegiate meet on Jan. 6. Making the event even J. Schwikert 9.900 9.975 9.875 9.900 39.450 more special was the presence of her parents, Yuejiu Li and Jiani Wu, Career 9.950 9.975 9.925 9.925 39.500 who had won Olympic team medals for China in the same arena at the T. Schwikert 9.975 9.925 9.950 9.950 39.700 1984 Olympic Games. Li improved her all-around score the following Career 9.975 10.0 9.975 10.0 39.825 week at Utah, scoring 39.2 to place fourth. She also placed second on Selesky 9.925 7.950 9.900 beam with a 9.825. More career-highs were set at Fullerton on Jan. 19, Career 9.925 7.950 9.900 as Li placed second in the all-around with a career-high 39.275. She Team 49.425 49.700 49.200 49.350 197.150 also improved her personal-bests on vault (9.85 to tie for third), bars School Record 49.725 49.825 49.725 49.875 198.875 (9.875, second place) and beam (9.825 to tie for second).