UCLA Bruins Gymnastics

UCLA Bruins Gymnastics

The UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team represents the University of California at Los Angeles and competes in the Pacific-12 (Pac-12) Conference. They currently compete in Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA. The team, coached by head coach Valorie Kondos-Field, has won 6 NCAA Women's Gymnastics championships (1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010) and 18 Regional titles, including nine in the last 10 years. UCLA won the 2010 NCAA Women's Gymnastics championship on April 23, 2010. Vanessa Zamarripa was the vault champion with a score of 9.9250 and Brittani McCullough won the floor exercise championship with a 9.9375.

There had been some doubts as to the stability of women's gymnastics at UCLA after the athletic department cut the program in the fall of 1993.

In 1994, the UCLA women's gymnastics team signed Kerri Strug. Strug's letter of intent was for the season following the 1996 Olympics. After her participation in the Ice Capades and Disney on Ice, Strug announced her retirement and enrolled in UCLA. As a professional, she could not compete in NCAA gymnastics events, so she worked for a time as team manager. She later transferred to Stanford University.

Some notable former UCLA gymnasts include current stuntwoman Heidi Moneymaker and Olympic Team members Jamie Dantzscher, Mohini Bhardwaj, Kate Richardson, Tasha Schwikert, Kristen Maloney, Yvonne Tousek, Stella Umeh, Luisa Portocarrero and Sam Peszek.