UCLA gymnastics went into the NCAA championships knowing the odds of leaving with a title were against them. And after a season pockmarked with obstacles, namely injuries and illness, the team finished with the only thing its impairments would let them – a personal victory. Read more...
Photo: Senior Olivia Courtney, shown here in the NCAA individual event finals, and the Bruins’ season ended with a 5th place finish in Friday’s NCAA semifinal. (Courtesy of Christy Linder)
UCLA Gymnastics: Three Keys to NCAA Championship No. 111 1. Going 24 for 24 routines: The Bruins can’t afford a single mistake – even if the mistake doesn’t contribute to their team score, their play-not-to-lose mentality will sink them in the competition. Read more...
Photo: UCLA will need strong individual performances from gymnasts like redshirt junior Samantha Peszek as the Bruins head to Alabama for the NCAA championships. (Tim Bradbury/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Gymnastics is a sport grounded in dazzling aerial displays and sharp, precise turns and leaps – physical feats that would impress even the most athletic of people. Read more...
Photo: Freshman Mikaela Gerber said that gymnastics is 90 percent mental. To hone the mental side, the Bruins set aside time in some practices for mental-specific training. (Tim Bradbury/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Redshirt sophomore Ellette Craddock has had a wobbly career on balance beam. Two years ago, she competed in just one meet for UCLA gymnastics. Last year, she tore a tendon in her finger and had to sit out the season. Read more...
Photo: Coach Valorie Kondos Field said that getting Ellette Craddock back onto the competitive lineup involved a mental exercise to reinforce her convictions. (Tim Bradbury/Daily Bruin senior staff)
Barring an uncharacteristic meltdown in the last rotation of Saturday’s NCAA regional, No. 5 Utah had already all but locked up both first place and the first of two available bids for NCAA championships in two weeks. Read more...
Photo: Redshirt junior Samantha Peszek placed first in the individual all-around competition in the Bruins’ second-place finish in the NCAA Regionals. (Katie Meyers/Daily Bruin senior staff)
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. Read more...
Photo: UCLA gymnastics coach Valerie Kondos Field said the No. 8 Bruins will be wary of a potential upset by the No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks at home, as UCLA heads to Fayetteville, Ark., for the NCAA regionals on Saturday. (Jose Ubeda/Daily Bruin staff)
Kassidy Kozai needed surgery to reconstruct a torn medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in her right knee three years prior to enrolling in college. Read more...
Photo: Kassidy Kozai suffered a number of injuries in her time as a gymnast and bounced back after each one. However, she now finds a different way to impact the sport she loves, serving as an undergraduate assistant coach for UCLA gymnastics. (Joseph Chan/Daily Bruin)
