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UCLA Gymnastics Defeats Stanford, 197.075-196.225

@uclagymnastics

The #13 UCLA Bruins went on the road and took on a Stanford team that has the potential to score high and turned in their highest point total of the season, improving to 5-1 overall. Even though the Bruins were down a gymnast as Christine Peng-Peng Lee did not travel due to illness, they still posted scores over 49 in each event, including a season high 49.450 on floor. Problems on the beam did Stanford in, as they had to count a fall, along with some minor problems on vault but with only five gymnasts going, all the scores had to count.

Official UCLA Recap

Official Stanford Recap

Official Stats

The Bruins started the meet on bars and were pretty much "on" putting up a team score of 49.125. While the Bruins could do better, most of the handstands looked straight, the landings were relatively clean, and it's just cleaning up form breaks to get the team score into the 49.3 range. Danusia Francis led the Bruins on bars with a 9.875, and Sonya Meraz contributed a career high with a 9.850. Janay Honest contributed a 9.775, and her release moves are beautiful - high, light, airy. There were two routines with handstand issues, which led to slightly lower scores, but overall, it wasn't bad. Meanwhile, Stanford only put up five gymnasts on vault, led by Taylor Rice's 9.90, and scored 48.875. (No Elizabeth Price this week, who is nursing a shoulder injury.) After one rotation, the Bruins had a pretty sizable lead.

UCLA then moved to vault in rotation two, and the Bruins once again were crisp and clean, with a score of 49.350. The lowest score of the day was a 9.850, and it's a good day when you're dropping a 9.850. Sam Peszek led the Bruins with a 9.90 and Sadiqua Bynum had a 9.875. Stanford meanwhile was doing fantastic on bars. While Danielle McNair fell, the rest of her team picked her up, led by Ivana Hong's 9.975 (one judge gave her a 10) and a 9.925 by Samantha Shapiro. At the halfway point, UCLA led, 98.475-98.300.

The Bruins then moved to the floor, and put together the floor rotation we have been waiting for all season, scoring a season high 49.450, and this is without Peszek. Bynum won the floor, securing the event for the Bruins with a 9.925. Danusia Francis contributed a 9.90 with a beautiful routine, and Meraz scored the first 9.90 of her career. Mikaela Gerber and Jennifer Pinches both scored 9.850, and Angi Cipra had a 9.875. Again, always a good day when you drop a 9.850. The Bruins upgraded tumbling really stood out for me, especially when I watched Stanford on the floor in the next rotation, which had much "simpler" but still clean tumbling. Stanford in the third rotation was having extreme problems on the balance beam. Rebecca Wing led off with two large balance checks, scoring only a 9.650, and Ivana Hong and Nicolette McNair both came off the beam, forcing Stanford to count the 9.650 and a 9.350, scoring only 48.525. Taylor Rice had a nice beam rotation with a 9.850. After three, the Bruins lead expanded to 147.925-146.825.

In the final rotation, the Bruins moved to the beam while Stanford rotated to the floor. Gerber, after a nice floor, had her first missed routine of the season, with a fall on her dismount (goodbye, 0.50 points) but the Bruins rallied behind her to score 49.125 as a team. Francis led the Bruins and won the beam with a 9.875, and Meraz and Peszek both contributed a 9.850. Meanwhile, Stanford was putting their version of a show on the floor, scoring 49.400 as a team. Haley Spector and Taylor Rice both scored 9.925 with clean tumbling, and then picked up Rachel Daum who had a fall on one of her passes and they were able to drop her 8.950.

At the end, the Bruins won, 197.075-196.225. They won three of the four events as a team (losing on bars) and had three individual event winners in Bynum, Peszek and Francis. No all-around winner today - no one went on all four events. Even though the Bruins posted their highest score of the season, there is still plenty of room to improve, especially on bars and beam. Vault and floor are at a place any UCLA fan should be happy with, and we have a very fluid lineup that allows for quick replacements due to injury that isn't a huge drop off, but we hope to have everyone healthy by the end of the season.

The Bruins next compete on the 21st in a quad meet, hosting Nebraska, Sacramento State and Bridgeport at 4pm in Pauley.

Go Bruins.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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