Courtesy UCLA Athletics
Olympian Mohini Bhardwaj, along with seven other athletes, will be inducted in the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 11.
The members of the Class of 2013 are: Bhardwaj (gymnastics), Carlos Bocanegra (men’s soccer), Fred Bohna (wrestling), Eric Byrnes (baseball), Yvonne Gutierrez (softball), Don Johnson (men’s basketball), Maylana MartinDouglas (women’s basketball) and Nandi Pryce (women’s soccer).
Invitation-only ceremonies will be held on Friday, Oct. 11 at Covel Commons, and UCLA Athletics will also recognize the entire class at halftime of the football game vs. California on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Mohini Bhardwaj (Gymnastics, 1998-2001)
Mohini Bhardwaj finished her career at UCLA as a two-time NCAA team champion, two-time NCAA individual champion, 11-time All-American and the 2001 Honda Award winner for gymnastics. Bhardwaj set numerous scoring records at UCLA, including scoring the second-highest all-around total in NCAA history, 39.975, in 2001. She led UCLA to NCAA team titles in 2000 and 2001 and won the uneven bars in 2000 and floor exercise in 2001. Along with winning the Honda Award in 2001, she was also the Pac-10 and West Region Gymnast of the Year and the AAI Award-winner as the nation’s top senior gymnast. Bhardwaj continued her gymnastics career after graduation, winning the 2001 U.S. National Championship on vault and helping the U.S. win a bronze medal at the 2001 World Championships. In 2004, she resurrected her career and earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, where she served as team captain and led the U.S. to a silver medal. She also qualified for event finals on floor exercise, where she placed sixth.