Individual Champions

Several Bruins won individual championships (1 NCAA, 1 Pac-10 title) in their respective sports this weekend.  

In Gymnastics, Senior Tasha Schwikert added to her impressive all-around title with a win on the uneven bars.  Schwikert beat out teammate Kristina Comforte  and Georgia's Katie Heenan with a score of 9.9375. From the offical site

Schwikert, who won the NCAA all-around title on Thursday, showed perfect form, solid release moves (Shaposhnikova, shoot-over half to handstand, Tkatchev) and a stuck double layout dismount for a 9.9375, taking the lead after eight competitors. Comforte gave Schwikert a run for her money four competitors later with a Shaposhnikova, piked Jaeger and a stuck double layout dismount, scoring 9.9 to move into a tie for second place. Schwikert was still in first when Bruin sophomore Anna Li (Aurora, IL) took her turn, and her massive Tkatchev drew gasps from the crowd. Li stuck her double layout dismount but bent down at the waist to do so and scored 9.8125 to place 15th. Schwikert's score held up for the rest of the competition, giving the senior her first individual event title to go along with a pair of national all-around titles (2005 and 2008).

Schwikert had a chance for a third title this year, competing on floor exercise. She needed to score 9.9625 to match Georgia's Courtney McCool, who had a pair of 10s from the six judges. Schwikert gave it her best effort, sticking both her half in half out mount and her double pike dismount. The only deduction from the judges may have come on her middle pass, when she popped up just slightly on her double full/punch front, and she received a 9.9500 to finish second behind 2004 Olympian McCool.

And finally, in tennis, 3 Bruins won in the Pac-10 tournament in Ojai.  Senior Riza Zalameda avenged her loss on April 18th to USC's Amanda Fink by beating her 6-3, 6-4 to become UCLA's first individual Pac-10 champion since Sara Walker in 2000.  Fellow Senior Alex McGoodwin won twice on the day.  First, she beat Arizona State's Wendy Pilecka, 7-6(7), 6-1 to claim the title in the invitational draw.  McGoodwin then teamed with Freshman Andrea Remynse to defeat Cal's Rachael Dillon/Daron Moore 8-1, to win the invitational doubles final.  

NCAA Tournament Selections are announced on Tuesday.