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Sophomore gymnast Tasha Schwikert has been unable to compete this season after sustaining an inju

With inexperience playing a major role in Friday night’s loss to the Arizona Wildcats, UCLA gymnastics coach Valorie Kondos Field couldn’t help but entertain thoughts of how different the night’s outcome could have been if her depleted roster had the benefit of a clean bill of health.

“If Tasha was healthy, [Melissa] Chan was healthy, if we had a healthy team, our freshmen would’ve learned half of what they had to from the sidelines.”

Indeed, this season has distressed the UCLA squad to the point where senior Kate Richardson would be justified in pinpointing these rash of injuries as “the theme for the season.”

Because sophomore Tasha Schwikert and Michelle Selesky, the team co-captain, have been inactive due to injuries, the Bruins have relied heavily on the unproven talent of their freshmen to outperform just about every competitor this season.

Members of the Bruins’ freshman class are no doubt highly touted, but they were expected to play more of a supporting rather than leading role for the team this season.

Their growing pains have become evident with the progression of the season as the Bruins have lost to teams such as the Wildcats, who form a relatively strong gymnastics squad but lack the prestige of the Bruins’ program.

Though their efforts came up short, the Arizona meet last Friday was another opportunity for freshmen Ariana Berlin, Janelle Dantzscher and Kristina Comforte to quiet any notions that the newcomers were not yet ready to lead the team.

Berlin was nearly flawless with a second-place finish in the all-around, while Dantzscher was close behind with a fifth-place finish score of 38.050. Comforte also delivered with a team-high 9.90 on the beam. But however encouraging the competition might have been, UCLA still couldn’t stop its losing skid.

The freshmen’s inexperience was evident during their routines on the uneven bars as over half of the Bruins slipped to the floor during their routines.

That the young squad was unable to capitalize upon a change in routine proved to be a factor in the team’s failure to take advantage of its scheduling circumstances.

“We should’ve done better, but we never gave up,” Kondos Field said. “This experience was just another experience for our young team.”

The upcoming meets against Stanford and San Jose State will feature the welcomed return of Melissa Chan from a strained left calf injury sustained during the Bruins’ the Feb. 12 win over Washington.

According to Kondos Field, Chan will be expected to compete in one or two events during Sunday’s dual meet at home.

While the team will regain one of its top athletes, at least two gymnasts will still be inactive or fighting injuries.

Tasha Schwikert is still recovering from surgery on her right rotator cuff, and freshman Maranda Smith is nursing a stress reaction in her shin. Schwikert, Smith and senior Michelle Selesky were all inactive during Friday’s meet.

Schwikert’s sister, Jordan, is still nursing a tender shoulder on top of everything else.