It's three out for Kentucky's Jenny Hansen

Published: Wednesday, May 1, 1996

Wednesday, May 1, 1996

All-around streak halted as senior falters in final tryBy Esther Hui

Daily Bruin Staff

Giving merit to the closeness of each of the individual event competitions at the women's gymnastics national championships was the complete shut out on every event of Kentucky's Jenny Hansen.

Hansen, a senior, is the all-time richest woman gymnast as far as NCAA gold medals go, having racked up eight in the previous three years, including three straight all-around championships.

The all-around was held during the preliminary team competition last Thursday night. While competing with a team is generally considered an advantage in the all-around (because the scores tend to build), the crowd favorite to win was Hansen, whose team had not qualified for NCAAs. Hansen hoped to use the momentum from the 39.800 her winning mark in her junior year and the dozens of perfect 10.0s scored during her collegiate gymnastics career.

Hansen's chances disintegrated after she fell from the beam, which dropped her to seventh place, and the championship eventually went to Meredith Willard from Alabama (39.450). Hansen, however, scored a perfect 10.0 on vault, 9.90 on bars and 9.950 on floor so despite the fall, she was only .15 away from Willard.

Hansen placed fourth on floor (9.90), second on vault (9.9375) and fourth on bars (9.90).

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Missing from the final scoresheet in the balance beam competition was UCLA's first-team All-American Corinne Chee. Chee had qualified to the finals along with teammates Luisa Portocarrero and Stella Umeh (who went on to repeat last year's tie for second place with a 9.90), but had to forego what would have been her last competition to fly back to Los Angeles for the start of a year-long internship.

According to Chee, however, the Bruins' second place finish in the team competition helped distill the disappointment of not having a chance to compete in the beam finals.

"I made the decision (to fly back early) when we were still home, because I knew if I had to make the choice then, it'd be hard," Chee said. "(Head coach Valorie Kondos) said I would regret it for a little while, but I would know I made the right decision, and that's what happened.

"(The weekend) was amazing, of course. A culmination of my four years here, it was so nice to end on a high note," she added.

Chee will be working for the Care Extender Volunteer Program in preparation for applying to physician assistant school after her graduation in June.

The weekend also helped put a wrap on what has been four years of solid beam routines at the NCAA championships for Chee, who will leave the team this year along with seniors Dee Fischer and Kristin Harmell.

"I never realized that," Chee said of her consistency on beam. "It never even crossed my mind, and it's a good thing too; Valorie said she didn't want to jinx it. Normally the pressure of your last meet is too much and you don't do as well."

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Although Umeh fell on floor Thursday night, which kept her from defending her floor title, her performance over the weekend was remarkable considering that she competed despite a relapse in an inner ear infection and a broken bone in her right foot.

Umeh placed fourth on uneven bars (9.90) and second on beam (9.90).

"(The ear infection) didn't clear up," Umeh said. "It was really difficult doing all-around, and I've done all-around all my life. It was really hard to recover each night I had to concentrate."

PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin

Senior Corinne Chee has departed early for a year-long internship.

The all-around was held during the preliminary team competition last Thursday night.