MARY HOLSCHER Onnie Williswill compete
with the Bruins at the regional meet.
By Eli Karon
Daily Bruin Reporter
For Bruin sophomore Jamie Williams, this weekend’s trip to
her home state of Arizona will be a welcome break from the chaos of
Los Angeles. However, Williams and the rest of the UCLA gymnastics
team are focused on traveling to a state far, far away.
When UCLA travels to Arizona State this weekend for the NCAA
Regional Meet, it will be joined by No. 12 Arizona, No. 17 BYU, No.
12 ASU, Cal State Fullerton and Illinois-Chicago.
“We’re peaking at the right time,” Williams
said. “The ultimate importance is for nationals.”
While the Bruins have been battling injuries all year, they are
currently as healthy as they’ve been in quite some time.
“We’re not 100 percent, but we’re better than
we were,” Williams said.
Peaking at the right time includes a jump to number one in the
national rankings, a promising shot at a trip to the NCAA
Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and some of the most consistent
performances of the year.
Coming off a nearly flawless meet at the Pac-10 finals, the
Bruins will once again be focusing on hitting 24 of 24 routines, a
difficult feat at any level. UCLA head coach Valorie Kondos
Field will again juggle the UCLA lineup, proving the Bruins are the
most versatile team in the nation.
“Jeanette (Antolin) is going to come in on floor for the
first time,” Kondos Field said. “We are looking to hit
24 for 24 again and win the meet.”
However, the UCLA team knows better than to overlook any of the
teams at regionals, especially the host Arizona schools. Arizona
came in second to UCLA at the Pac-10 finals, and Arizona State is a
dangerous team, especially at home.
“I think we’ll be fine,” Williams
said. “We just have to concentrate on us and not focus
on the competition.”
If all goes well, the team will need to start practicing their
southern drawls and eating plenty of grits.
Before they know it, they will be flying on a plane to
Tuscaloosa.