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NCAA TEAM CHAMPIONS
The 2001 Bruins (clockwise, l-r) - Mohini Bhardwaj, Malia Jones, Stephanie Johnson, Jamie Dantzscher,
Jamie Williams, Doni Thompson, Kristin Parker, Carly Raab, Valerie Velasco, Kristen Maloney, Yvonne
Tousek, Jeanette Antolin, Onnie Willis, Lindsey Dong.
The 2003 Bruins (back row, l-r) - Yvonne Tousek, Alyssa Beckerman, Jamie Williams, Carly Raab,
Onnie Willis, Doni Thompson, Holly Murdock, Trishna Patel. (middle row, l-r) - Malia Jones, Kristin
Parker, Jamie Dantzscher, Kristen Maloney, Christy Erickson. (front row, l-r) - Kate Richardson,
Christie Tedmon, Jeanette Antolin.
The expectations for the 2001 Bruins were sky-high. After all,
the Bruins were the defending NCAA Champions and had what
was generally considered the most talented team in the history of
collegiate gymnastics. But it took more than just talent for UCLA
to reach the top of the podium at the NCAA Championships. A
strong team commitment, team chemistry, depth, resiliency and a lot of heart brought
the Bruins their second consecutive national title.
2001
2003
A year after a disappointing third-place finish at the NCAA
Championships, UCLA reclaimed its status as the top program in
the nation, winning the NCAA title for the third time in four years.
UCLA entered the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb. as
the favorite and got through stage one of the Championships by placing first at the
preliminaries with a score of 196.95. The Bruins did have to count a fall on beam,
leaving definite room for improvement in team finals.
The quest to repeat started off strongly after a 24-for-24 performance during the
preliminary session. UCLA placed first in the afternoon session with a score of 197.625
to advance to the Super Six. Onnie Willis ended the afternoon as the all-around co-leader
and saw her score stand during the evening session, making her UCLA’s first-ever
NCAA all-around champion.
The Bruins were a resilient bunch in team finals. On three of the four events, UCLA
had an early fall but never let it faze them, stepping up under pressure to throw out
that low score.
With day one of the Championships over with, the Bruins went into the team finals
wearing shirts that read “Win With Our Hearts”, and they proceeded to do just that.
Competing in the favored Olympic order, UCLA’s night got off to a slow start when the
first vaulter fell. However, the rest of the team raised their game a notch and reeled off
five straight dynamic vaults to close the set with a team total of 49.35.
The Bruins showed their heart early in the competition. During the first rotation, a fall
from the first competitor put the pressure on early, but the team responded with three
consecutive scores of 9.9+ to end the floor rotation with a .275 lead over Georgia.
UCLA suffered another fall on bars in its next rotation, but again, three straight scores
of 9.9 or higher to close the set negated the fall and put the Bruins ahead by twotenths after two events.
The Bruins increased their lead on vault to .35 after totaling 49.45, thanks to three
scores of 9.9 or higher.
On beam, where UCLA had suffered two falls in prelims, Bruin head coach Valorie
Kondos Field employed a brilliant strategic move, putting in the extremely consistent
Onnie Willis as the leadoff competitor. In her first ever leadoff performance, Willis
was not only steady but spectacular, scoring a 9.925 to set the table perfectly for her
teammates. UCLA reeled off scores of 9.9, 9.825, 9.85, 9.95 and 9.9 to earn a final
team score of 49.525 and a .475 lead over second-place Georgia.
The lead evaporated to just one-tenth of a point when two of UCLA’s final three
competitors on bars made costly errors, and with the Bruins’ final rotation being the
dreaded balance beam, UCLA had to be flawless. And they were.
As home team Georgia scored a 49.5 on vault, the Bruins matched them score for
score. In the leadoff position, Doni Thompson put the winning wheels in motion by
starting the set with a career-high 9.9. A fall from UCLA’s second competitor put the
pressure on, but the Bruins responded and almost fed off the pressure.
Heading into the final rotation, UCLA held a three-tenths lead over Alabama and needed
to score 48.85 on floor to overtake Georgia. Jeanette Antolin led off with a 9.85, and
seniors Kristin Parker and Malia Jones capped off their careers with a 9.875 and 9.9,
respectively. A fall by Kate Richardson put some pressure on the Bruins, but with Willis
and Jamie Dantzscher on deck, there was little doubt they would respond like champions.
Willis earned a 9.9, and Dantzscher clinched the victory by scoring a near-perfect 9.975,
which gave UCLA a final total of 197.825, .55 higher than second-place Alabama.
Tousek followed with a career-high 9.95, Willis tied her career-high with a 9.9, and
Maloney scored a 9.925 to set the stage for Bhardwaj. In familiar territory after having
clinched the dual meet win against Georgia at home, Bhardwaj responded with a 9.9,
well above the 9.75 she needed to move ahead of Georgia. The Bruins finished with a
beam total of 49.575, the second-highest beam mark in school history, and an overall
team total of 197.575, .175 ahead of Georgia.
Richardson and Dantzscher shared the uneven bars title at the Individual Event Finals,
and Richardson took home the balance beam crown.
In addition to the team and all-around titles, Tousek won the uneven bars title, and
Bhardwaj capped her career by winning the floor exercise championship.
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