March 18, 2000
TEMPE, Ariz. - With a sparkling team total score of 197.700, UCLA repeated as Pac-10 Conference Women's Gymnastics champion Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Tempe, Ariz. Oregon State placed second with 196.575 points, followed by Washington (195.900), host school Arizona State (195.875), California (194.675), Stanford (193.850) and Arizona (192.950).
Bruin gymnasts won or tied for first place on all four individual events. Junior Mohini Bhardwaj captured the all-around title at 39.700, which included a winning score of 9.95 on vault. Third-ranked UCLA also got a stellar showing from Lena Degteva placed second as an all-arounder at 39.675 while placing first in two events. The senior won the balance beam at 9.925, and tied teammates Degteva and Kristin Parker for first in uneven bar competition.
"I'm absolutely thrilled," Bruin Head Coach Valorie Kondos said. "I'm thrilled that we started on beam and went six-for-six, that was a big concern of mine. I'm also really proud we had four freshmen out there and they got the job done. We told the team this is the start of our championship season."
Meanwhile ASU, competing before a home crowd of 1,728, had its first Pac-10 individual champions since the 1996 season. Sun Devil senior Elizabeth McNabb and sophomore Lea Carver matched Bahardwaj and UCLA senior Heidi Moneymaker for top honors in the floor exercise with scores of 9.925. Carver's performance set a new career high.
The accolades for UCLA continued during the postmeet awards presentation, when Moneymaker was named Pac-10 Gymnast of the Year and Kondos earned conference Coach of the Year honors.
Pac-10 teams will now await the announcement of NCAA Regional selections, to be reported on Monday, March 20.