Did this student deserve admission to UCLA's renowned gymnastics team?
LOS ANGELES - Even by the lofty standards of UCLA gymnastics, the team's 2016 freshmen stood out.
The group was one of the greatest collections of recruits in NCAA history, including two Olympic gold medalists and others with state, regional and national accolades.
One of the nine women, however, stood apart. Maria Caire's team biography had no record of a competitive career.
UCLA listed Caire as a past member of Pasadena-based Club Champion Gymnastics, but top gymnasts who trained at the club during the same period told The Times they had never seen her practice. There is no record of her participating in a meet for the club.
Caire, however, had something other aspiring collegiate gymnasts didn't: Her uncle was a close friend of UCLA's legendary coach, Valorie Kondos Field. In a book published last year, Kondos Field described the student's uncle as "one of my dearest friends." Property records show they owned a condominium together in the late 1990s.
Kondos Field, who led the school to seven NCAA team titles in 29 seasons before retiring in April, said the friendship had nothing to do with Caire's recruitment. The coach instead credited the student's character, work ethic and potential in the vault. Caire
