No. 4 UCLA vs. No. 30 Arizona State
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 – 3 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. MT
Location: Tempe, Ariz. (Desert Financial Arena)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
TV Talent: Daron Sutton, Samantha Peszek
Live Stats: thesundevils.com
Tickets: $10 (ticketmaster.com)
BRUINS HEAD TO DESERT
No. 4-ranked UCLA (7-2) travels to Tempe, Ariz. for a Pac-12 dual meet against No. 30 Arizona State (4-5) on Saturday, Feb. 15. The meet will take place at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT and will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Samantha Peszek on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA hit 24-for-24 routines and scored a season-high team total in a 197.675-195.375 victory over No. 20 Arizona on Feb. 9. The Bruins posted season-highs on vault (49.325) and beam (49.375) and received contributions from 14 different gymnasts, including three freshmen who all earned a score of 9.85 or higher in the meet. Kyla Ross won the all-around with a score of 39.7, and Felicia Hano placed second in her 2020 all-around debut, scoring a career-high 39.475. Hano tied for first on vault with Ross with a 9.9 and on floor with Gracie Kramer with a 9.95. Ross won bars and beam with 9.975s.
FISH NETS SEASON-HIGHS
Competing in the all-around Feb. 9 for just the second time at UCLA, senior Felicia Hano scored a career-best 39.475, recording season-highs on vault (9.9), beam (9.8) and floor (9.95) and picking up her first event titles of the season (vault, floor). Hano’s previous all-around performance came on Jan. 20, 2018, also against Arizona, and she scored 38.650. She currently ranks tied for eighth in the nation in the all-around and 10th on floor exercise.
THE BOSS REMAINS UNBEATEN
Kyla Ross keeps rolling this season, winning the all-around in all six meets this year and racking up a total of 20 individual event wins (six on vault, five on bars, four on beam and three on floor). Ross is averaging 39.692 in the all-around this season, with four scores of 39.7 or higher and a season-best of 39.750. She ranks first in the nation on uneven bars, second in the all-around, fifth on balance beam and tied for sixth on vault and floor exercise.
FRESHMEN TAKE CENTER STAGE
UCLA’s freshman class made its biggest combined contribution of the season against Arizona, with three of the four freshmen competing a total of four routines and two exhibitions. Emma Andres made her collegiate debut after five exhibition performances in previous meets, scoring 9.75 on vault and a third-place mark of 9.875 on floor exercise. She also exhibitioned on beam, scoring 9.7. Kalyany Steele competed on uneven bars for the third time this year and hit a career-best 9.85. Chloe Lashbrooke led off on floor exercise with a 9.85 and exhibitioned on vault. Lashbrooke has competed on floor three times this season and is averaging 9.858, ranking in the Top 20 in the Pac-12.
POSTON POSTS ANOTHER PERSONAL BEST
Junior Kendal Poston continues to flourish this season, recording yet another career-high on balance beam against Arizona. Poston earned a 9.9, receiving a 9.95 from one of the two judges, to help the Bruins tie their season-best on beam with a 49.375. Poston placed third on the event and also tied for third on vault with a 9.850. Her 9.9 on beam was her second 9.9 score of her career; she earned a 9.9 on vault in the home opener on Jan. 12.
FOUR ON THE FLOOR
UCLA ranks No. 1 in the nation on floor exercise with a season average of 49.538 and has a whopping four gymnasts in the Top 10 - No. 4 Gracie Kramer, No. 6 Kyla Ross and Margzetta Frazier, and No. 10 Felicia Hano. The Bruins have scored 49.425 or higher in every meet and 49.5 or higher in three meets, with a high of 49.725 against Boise State on Jan. 12. Kramer scored the only perfect 10 on floor in the nation so far this season on Jan. 31, while Ross has a pair of 9.975s. Hano, Frazier, Nia Dennis and Norah Flatley have each scored a 9.95 this season. Every Bruin who has competed on floor this year has a season-high of at 9.875 or better.
RAISING THE BAR
UCLA has shown strong consistency on uneven bars, ranking second in the nation with a season average of 49.446. The Bruins have scored 49.375 or higher in every meet, with a high of 49.525 on Jan. 18 at BYU. Three Bruins are ranked in the Top 5 nationally on bars - No. 1 Kyla Ross (9.963 average), No. 4 Margzetta Frazier (9.921) and No. 5 Madison Kocian (9.919). All three gymnasts have scored 9.9 or higher on every bars routine this season, with Ross posting a pair of perfect 10s Jan. 12 and Jan. 18. Kocian has two career perfect 10s on bars, achieved in 2017 and 2019.
KRAMER FINDS PERFECTION
Senior Gracie Kramer became the first gymnast in the nation to score a 10 on floor with her flawless performance against Washington Jan. 31, earning the All-American her first-ever Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award. The 10.0 was the first of her career and the 150th in UCLA history. Kramer, who has won floor three times in the last four meets, averages 9.938 on floor this season, good for fourth in the nation and first in the Pac-12.
ROSS RECORD WATCH
Kyla Ross recorded her 21st career perfect 10 on uneven bars Jan. 18 at BYU, moving into a tie for fourth on the NCAA’s all-time perfect 10 list. She is seven away from tying the all-time record of 28 held by UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher (2000-03) and Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen (1993-96). Ross extended her NCAA record to 11 career perfect 10s on bars (10 of her 11 were scored on the road). Last season, Ross set NCAA records with 10 consecutive meets with a perfect 10 and 14 10s overall in the season. This year, she became the first gymnast in the nation to record multiple 10s, having scored two in a row on uneven bars in weeks two and three.
GLENN CLOSE TO ELUSIVE LEADOFF 10
With two scores of 9.975 and one of 9.950 on balance beam this season, senior Grace Glenn is inching closer and closer to recording an elusive leadoff perfect 10, a feat that is believed to never have happened in NCAA Gymnastics. Glenn, the reigning Pac-12 beam co-champion, scored her first 9.975 while leading off Jan. 12 against Boise State at home. Two weeks later, she matched that mark at Stanford with another near-flawless routine that led to her winning the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award. Glenn has eight beam scores of 9.950 or better in her career, along with five career event wins.
KOCIAN RETURNS
Madison Kocian made a welcomed return to the lineup at BYU, making her season debut on both bars and floor after sitting out the first two meets with shoulder soreness. The 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist, scored 9.950 on bars to place second and 9.850 on floor to finish third. She competed on bars again at Stanford, scoring 9.9 to tie for second and again did both bars and floor against Washington, scoring 9.9 on bars and 9.875 on floor. Kocian had not competed on floor since 2018, and her last competitive appearance prior to the BYU meet was at the 2019 NCAA final. She is averaging 9.868 on bars and 9.891 on floor over her career, with highs of 10.0 and 9.950, respectively, and currently ranks No. 5 in the nation on bars.
SHAPIRO COMEBACK COMPLETE
Redshirt senior Nicki Shapiro competed for the first time in nearly four years, scoring a team-counting 9.8 on beam at Stanford on Jan. 27. Shapiro competed in nine meets for the Bruins as a true freshman in 2016 before leaving the sport. She returned to the team in the fall following a successful tryout and earned a spot in the lineup for the first time this season during the win over the Cardinal. Shapiro’s score helped the Bruins tie their season-high on the event with a 49.375.
UCLA SHOWCASES DEPTH
The Bruins have showcased their depth this season, competing anywhere from 12-14 gymnasts in each of their meets. Fourteen competed in the Bruins’ last meet, including three freshmen. Five underclassmen (freshmen Chloe Lashbrooke and Kalyany Steele and sophomores Norah Flatley, Margzetta Frazier and Samantha Sakti) competed a total of nine routines against Boise State on Jan. 12. Adding on to the 14 who competed in that meet, two others - redshirt seniors Nicki Shapiro (uneven bars) and Macy Toronjo (floor exercise) - performed exhibition routines, seeing their first action of the season. UCLA’s depth has been especially strong on floor exercise, where 11 athletes (Emma Andres, Nia Dennis, Flatley, Frazier, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Lashbrooke, Kyla Ross, Toronjo and Pauline Tratz) have shown floor routines either in competition or in exhibition.
BY THE NUMBERS
UCLA has scored 49+ on floor exercise in 44 consecutive meets, its last sub-49 score coming on Feb. 20, 2017 … On bars, UCLA’s 49+ streak stands at 40, with its last sub-49 coming at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships … UCLA has scored 49+ on vault in 36-straight meets since the 2018 season opener … In her last 20 meets, Nia Dennis is averaging 9.872 on vault, with eight scores of 9.9 or higher … Norah Flatley has hit 21 consecutive uneven bars routines … Margzetta Frazier has hit every routine she has competed in her career, with 45 of her 46 routines scoring 9.8 or higher … Grace Glenn has scored 9.9 or higher on beam on 17 of 32 routines …Felicia Hano has hit 41 consecutive vaults … Madison Kocian has hit 34 consecutive uneven bars routines, 20 of those going 9.9 or higher, and 22 consecutive floor exercise routines … Gracie Kramer has hit 35 floor routines in a row, with 22 of those routines earning 9.9 or higher … Kyla Ross has scored 39+ in the all-around 32 times in her career … On balance beam, Ross has hit 39 consecutive routines, 29 of them for 9.9 or higher … Pauline Tratz has hit 62 of 63 routines without a fall in her career, including 55 in a row.
SETTING NEW ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Fourteen members of the Bruin squad were part of the UCLA-record total of 415 student-athletes to make the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in Fall 2019. Sixty-two percent of all UCLA student-athletes earned honor roll recognition, with 28 earning perfect 4.0 GPAs, including Macy Toronjo and Pauline Tratz. The 12 other Bruins to make the Director’s Honor Roll last quarter were Emma Andres, Norah Flatley, Anna Glenn, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Chloe Lashbrooke, Kendal Poston, Kyla Ross, Samantha Sakti, Mercedez Sanchez, and Sara Taubman.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State currently ranks No. 30 in the nation with a season average of 195.121. The Sun Devils’ highest event ranking is No. 23 on vault. In their last home meet on Feb. 1, the Sun Devils posted season-high 196.300 to record a .050 upset win over No. 10 California. Arizona State is led by 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and two-time All-American Cairo Leonard-Baker.
NO. 1 IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS
UCLA Gymnastics has the largest social media followings in all of women’s collegiate sports, ranking No. 1 across all women’s sports in combined followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a total over 750,000. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on Instagram (347k), Facebook (356k) and Twitter (67.8k) and also have 573k subscribers on Snapchat. Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook, and UCLA Gymnastics is the most followed collegiate women’s team Instagram account in the nation. Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics.
WATCH THE BRUINS OFF THE MATS
Felicia Hano returns as the host of Bruin Banter, UCLA’s weekly interview series. The guest for Episode 5 this week will be Emma Andres. UCLA also has a bi-weekly docuseries, UCLA Gymnastics: The New Era that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the team. Episode 3 of the docuseries is expected to be released this week. The videos can be viewed on YouTube.com/UCLAAthletics.
LOOKING AHEAD
The No. 4 Bruins will host No. 3 Utah on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 pm in Pauley Pavilion. The meet will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 – 3 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. MT
Location: Tempe, Ariz. (Desert Financial Arena)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
TV Talent: Daron Sutton, Samantha Peszek
Live Stats: thesundevils.com
Tickets: $10 (ticketmaster.com)
BRUINS HEAD TO DESERT
No. 4-ranked UCLA (7-2) travels to Tempe, Ariz. for a Pac-12 dual meet against No. 30 Arizona State (4-5) on Saturday, Feb. 15. The meet will take place at 3 p.m. MT/2 p.m. PT and will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks with Daron Sutton and Samantha Peszek on the call.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA hit 24-for-24 routines and scored a season-high team total in a 197.675-195.375 victory over No. 20 Arizona on Feb. 9. The Bruins posted season-highs on vault (49.325) and beam (49.375) and received contributions from 14 different gymnasts, including three freshmen who all earned a score of 9.85 or higher in the meet. Kyla Ross won the all-around with a score of 39.7, and Felicia Hano placed second in her 2020 all-around debut, scoring a career-high 39.475. Hano tied for first on vault with Ross with a 9.9 and on floor with Gracie Kramer with a 9.95. Ross won bars and beam with 9.975s.
FISH NETS SEASON-HIGHS
Competing in the all-around Feb. 9 for just the second time at UCLA, senior Felicia Hano scored a career-best 39.475, recording season-highs on vault (9.9), beam (9.8) and floor (9.95) and picking up her first event titles of the season (vault, floor). Hano’s previous all-around performance came on Jan. 20, 2018, also against Arizona, and she scored 38.650. She currently ranks tied for eighth in the nation in the all-around and 10th on floor exercise.
THE BOSS REMAINS UNBEATEN
Kyla Ross keeps rolling this season, winning the all-around in all six meets this year and racking up a total of 20 individual event wins (six on vault, five on bars, four on beam and three on floor). Ross is averaging 39.692 in the all-around this season, with four scores of 39.7 or higher and a season-best of 39.750. She ranks first in the nation on uneven bars, second in the all-around, fifth on balance beam and tied for sixth on vault and floor exercise.
FRESHMEN TAKE CENTER STAGE
UCLA’s freshman class made its biggest combined contribution of the season against Arizona, with three of the four freshmen competing a total of four routines and two exhibitions. Emma Andres made her collegiate debut after five exhibition performances in previous meets, scoring 9.75 on vault and a third-place mark of 9.875 on floor exercise. She also exhibitioned on beam, scoring 9.7. Kalyany Steele competed on uneven bars for the third time this year and hit a career-best 9.85. Chloe Lashbrooke led off on floor exercise with a 9.85 and exhibitioned on vault. Lashbrooke has competed on floor three times this season and is averaging 9.858, ranking in the Top 20 in the Pac-12.
POSTON POSTS ANOTHER PERSONAL BEST
Junior Kendal Poston continues to flourish this season, recording yet another career-high on balance beam against Arizona. Poston earned a 9.9, receiving a 9.95 from one of the two judges, to help the Bruins tie their season-best on beam with a 49.375. Poston placed third on the event and also tied for third on vault with a 9.850. Her 9.9 on beam was her second 9.9 score of her career; she earned a 9.9 on vault in the home opener on Jan. 12.
FOUR ON THE FLOOR
UCLA ranks No. 1 in the nation on floor exercise with a season average of 49.538 and has a whopping four gymnasts in the Top 10 - No. 4 Gracie Kramer, No. 6 Kyla Ross and Margzetta Frazier, and No. 10 Felicia Hano. The Bruins have scored 49.425 or higher in every meet and 49.5 or higher in three meets, with a high of 49.725 against Boise State on Jan. 12. Kramer scored the only perfect 10 on floor in the nation so far this season on Jan. 31, while Ross has a pair of 9.975s. Hano, Frazier, Nia Dennis and Norah Flatley have each scored a 9.95 this season. Every Bruin who has competed on floor this year has a season-high of at 9.875 or better.
RAISING THE BAR
UCLA has shown strong consistency on uneven bars, ranking second in the nation with a season average of 49.446. The Bruins have scored 49.375 or higher in every meet, with a high of 49.525 on Jan. 18 at BYU. Three Bruins are ranked in the Top 5 nationally on bars - No. 1 Kyla Ross (9.963 average), No. 4 Margzetta Frazier (9.921) and No. 5 Madison Kocian (9.919). All three gymnasts have scored 9.9 or higher on every bars routine this season, with Ross posting a pair of perfect 10s Jan. 12 and Jan. 18. Kocian has two career perfect 10s on bars, achieved in 2017 and 2019.
KRAMER FINDS PERFECTION
Senior Gracie Kramer became the first gymnast in the nation to score a 10 on floor with her flawless performance against Washington Jan. 31, earning the All-American her first-ever Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award. The 10.0 was the first of her career and the 150th in UCLA history. Kramer, who has won floor three times in the last four meets, averages 9.938 on floor this season, good for fourth in the nation and first in the Pac-12.
ROSS RECORD WATCH
Kyla Ross recorded her 21st career perfect 10 on uneven bars Jan. 18 at BYU, moving into a tie for fourth on the NCAA’s all-time perfect 10 list. She is seven away from tying the all-time record of 28 held by UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher (2000-03) and Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen (1993-96). Ross extended her NCAA record to 11 career perfect 10s on bars (10 of her 11 were scored on the road). Last season, Ross set NCAA records with 10 consecutive meets with a perfect 10 and 14 10s overall in the season. This year, she became the first gymnast in the nation to record multiple 10s, having scored two in a row on uneven bars in weeks two and three.
GLENN CLOSE TO ELUSIVE LEADOFF 10
With two scores of 9.975 and one of 9.950 on balance beam this season, senior Grace Glenn is inching closer and closer to recording an elusive leadoff perfect 10, a feat that is believed to never have happened in NCAA Gymnastics. Glenn, the reigning Pac-12 beam co-champion, scored her first 9.975 while leading off Jan. 12 against Boise State at home. Two weeks later, she matched that mark at Stanford with another near-flawless routine that led to her winning the Pac-12 Specialist of the Week award. Glenn has eight beam scores of 9.950 or better in her career, along with five career event wins.
KOCIAN RETURNS
Madison Kocian made a welcomed return to the lineup at BYU, making her season debut on both bars and floor after sitting out the first two meets with shoulder soreness. The 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist, scored 9.950 on bars to place second and 9.850 on floor to finish third. She competed on bars again at Stanford, scoring 9.9 to tie for second and again did both bars and floor against Washington, scoring 9.9 on bars and 9.875 on floor. Kocian had not competed on floor since 2018, and her last competitive appearance prior to the BYU meet was at the 2019 NCAA final. She is averaging 9.868 on bars and 9.891 on floor over her career, with highs of 10.0 and 9.950, respectively, and currently ranks No. 5 in the nation on bars.
SHAPIRO COMEBACK COMPLETE
Redshirt senior Nicki Shapiro competed for the first time in nearly four years, scoring a team-counting 9.8 on beam at Stanford on Jan. 27. Shapiro competed in nine meets for the Bruins as a true freshman in 2016 before leaving the sport. She returned to the team in the fall following a successful tryout and earned a spot in the lineup for the first time this season during the win over the Cardinal. Shapiro’s score helped the Bruins tie their season-high on the event with a 49.375.
UCLA SHOWCASES DEPTH
The Bruins have showcased their depth this season, competing anywhere from 12-14 gymnasts in each of their meets. Fourteen competed in the Bruins’ last meet, including three freshmen. Five underclassmen (freshmen Chloe Lashbrooke and Kalyany Steele and sophomores Norah Flatley, Margzetta Frazier and Samantha Sakti) competed a total of nine routines against Boise State on Jan. 12. Adding on to the 14 who competed in that meet, two others - redshirt seniors Nicki Shapiro (uneven bars) and Macy Toronjo (floor exercise) - performed exhibition routines, seeing their first action of the season. UCLA’s depth has been especially strong on floor exercise, where 11 athletes (Emma Andres, Nia Dennis, Flatley, Frazier, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Lashbrooke, Kyla Ross, Toronjo and Pauline Tratz) have shown floor routines either in competition or in exhibition.
BY THE NUMBERS
UCLA has scored 49+ on floor exercise in 44 consecutive meets, its last sub-49 score coming on Feb. 20, 2017 … On bars, UCLA’s 49+ streak stands at 40, with its last sub-49 coming at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships … UCLA has scored 49+ on vault in 36-straight meets since the 2018 season opener … In her last 20 meets, Nia Dennis is averaging 9.872 on vault, with eight scores of 9.9 or higher … Norah Flatley has hit 21 consecutive uneven bars routines … Margzetta Frazier has hit every routine she has competed in her career, with 45 of her 46 routines scoring 9.8 or higher … Grace Glenn has scored 9.9 or higher on beam on 17 of 32 routines …Felicia Hano has hit 41 consecutive vaults … Madison Kocian has hit 34 consecutive uneven bars routines, 20 of those going 9.9 or higher, and 22 consecutive floor exercise routines … Gracie Kramer has hit 35 floor routines in a row, with 22 of those routines earning 9.9 or higher … Kyla Ross has scored 39+ in the all-around 32 times in her career … On balance beam, Ross has hit 39 consecutive routines, 29 of them for 9.9 or higher … Pauline Tratz has hit 62 of 63 routines without a fall in her career, including 55 in a row.
SETTING NEW ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Fourteen members of the Bruin squad were part of the UCLA-record total of 415 student-athletes to make the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in Fall 2019. Sixty-two percent of all UCLA student-athletes earned honor roll recognition, with 28 earning perfect 4.0 GPAs, including Macy Toronjo and Pauline Tratz. The 12 other Bruins to make the Director’s Honor Roll last quarter were Emma Andres, Norah Flatley, Anna Glenn, Felicia Hano, Madison Kocian, Gracie Kramer, Chloe Lashbrooke, Kendal Poston, Kyla Ross, Samantha Sakti, Mercedez Sanchez, and Sara Taubman.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS
Arizona State currently ranks No. 30 in the nation with a season average of 195.121. The Sun Devils’ highest event ranking is No. 23 on vault. In their last home meet on Feb. 1, the Sun Devils posted season-high 196.300 to record a .050 upset win over No. 10 California. Arizona State is led by 2018 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and two-time All-American Cairo Leonard-Baker.
NO. 1 IN SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS
UCLA Gymnastics has the largest social media followings in all of women’s collegiate sports, ranking No. 1 across all women’s sports in combined followers on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, a total over 750,000. The Bruins rank first among all NCAA gymnastics teams on Instagram (347k), Facebook (356k) and Twitter (67.8k) and also have 573k subscribers on Snapchat. Among all UCLA teams, gymnastics ranks first on Instagram and Facebook, and UCLA Gymnastics is the most followed collegiate women’s team Instagram account in the nation. Follow the Bruins at @UCLAGymnastics on Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat and on Facebook at facebook.com/uclagymnastics.
WATCH THE BRUINS OFF THE MATS
Felicia Hano returns as the host of Bruin Banter, UCLA’s weekly interview series. The guest for Episode 5 this week will be Emma Andres. UCLA also has a bi-weekly docuseries, UCLA Gymnastics: The New Era that gives fans a behind-the-scenes look at the team. Episode 3 of the docuseries is expected to be released this week. The videos can be viewed on YouTube.com/UCLAAthletics.
LOOKING AHEAD
The No. 4 Bruins will host No. 3 Utah on Sunday, Feb. 23 at 3 pm in Pauley Pavilion. The meet will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
