UCLA gymnastics advances to NCAA championships with second-place regional finish
Warmups were shaky. Bars was lackluster. Beam was an unwelcome relic of the past. But there was one consistent factor in UCLA’s come-from-behind performance Saturday that clinched the team’s first national championship appearance since 2019.
“We’re fighters,†junior Chae Campbell said.
UCLA used its best floor rotation since 2020 to advance and end the program’s longest nationals drought. The Bruins charged back from a two-tenth deficit after two rotations led by perfect 10s on Jordan Chiles and Selena Harris on floor and vault, respectively, to place second in the NCAA regional final Saturday at Pauley Pavilion.
No. 5 Utah finished first with a 198.05, while the Bruins edged No. 13 Missouri for second place. No. 4 UCLA totaled a 197.925 to advance to the NCAA championships in Fort Worth, Texas, while the Tigers totaled 197.6. Washington, the only unranked team in the country to make a regional final this season, finished with a 195.65.
Freshman Selena Harris played a critical role in pushing UCLA into the NCAA gymnastics championships, earning the first perfect score of her career in vault.
One step away from nationals, the Bruins showed their nerves during warmups. It felt as if they were putting too much pressure on themselves, coach Janelle McDonald said after the meet. They retreated to their locker room where at least a dozen gymnasts spoke up to rally the team.
“It would have been easy to get distracted and lean the other way, but they leaned in,†McDonald said. “That was really cool to see and definitely a testament to the culture that they committed to this season.â€
McDonald has led the Bruins back to nationals in her first year as a head coach. She inherited a team that was in shambles after the previous coaching staff mishandled a preseason incident involving a former teammate using racist language. When she met the gymnasts, her first thought was that she needed to prioritize their experience.
Before winning, McDonald simply wanted to help them get excited to do gymnastics again and to do it together. Then her team came together Saturday “in a way that I could only dream of,†McDonald said.
“The culture change is really just us being able to have fun after a tough season last year,†Campbell said. “This year we wanted to leave the season with no regrets and now that we’re here in this moment and we’ve made it to this point, I think we have successfully done that. We still have more to go, but I am extremely grateful for Janelle and the rest of the coaching staff for all that they’ve done this season with us and letting us be ourselves.â€
After the team’s worst beam rotation since Jan. 29 landed the Bruins in third place after two events, Campbell knew UCLA needed to make up ground on floor. When they approached their signature event, where the Bruins are ranked first nationally, Campbell said she felt the energy shift.
Emily Lee led off with a 9.8. Emma Malabuyo raised the bar with a 9.9, which Harris equaled. Margzetta Frazier matched her career high with a 9.95 and after she performed her final floor routine in Pauley Pavilion, the fifth-year senior who cited competition anxiety this season, was seen leaning over a trash can after she walked off the floor. Campbell matched Frazier’s 9.95 before Chiles cemented UCLA’s 49.7-point total with her second perfect score on floor this season.
Chiles, whose practice time this week was limited because she traveled to Texas after her aunt died from cancer, didn’t believe that she got a 10. When the crowd roared, she believed it was a 9.975. Her jaw dropped when she saw her score flash across the screen.
UCLA jumped into second place after its floor rotation and held off Missouri with its second-best vault performance of the year. Harris’ 10 led UCLA to a 49.5 score on the event.
Seeing the first 10 of her college career left Harris in tears. Chiles, who was waiting at the end of the vault runway to compete, jumped in the air and pulled the freshman into a tight embrace. With Missouri losing ground on bars, the Bruins were almost assured of advancing to nationals.
Last season, Chiles competed at the national championships as an individual. She set an intention it wouldn’t be a repeat experience this year.
“The whole year, I was telling Janelle, ‘I’m not going to nationals by myself again,’ †Chiles said. “I’m not. I’m not doing it.â€
Harris, sitting to Chiles’ right, whispered that she would have gone to watch at least. Chiles and Campbell laughed.
“But now,†Harris added, “we’re all going together.â€
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