UCLA may earn another national title this weekend.
Led by Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, the Bruins’ gymnastics squad is having its greatest season since 2018 and can compete in Fort Worth in an NCAA national semifinal on Thursday for a spot in Saturday’s championship meet.
The Bruins haven’t received an NCAA gymnastics championship in eight years, a protracted hole for the seven-time champions recognized for creating Olympic expertise.
UCLA will compete in a semifinal towards Oklahoma, Arkansas and Minnesota. The Bruins will begin on the bars, then go to the beam, flooring and vault.
The high two groups advance to the finals Saturday towards the highest two groups from the opposite semifinal that includes Louisiana State University, Stanford, Florida and Georgia.
“There’s no defense in gymnastics, and so you really need to just focus on what we need to do to go out and put out the best competition possible,” UCLA coach Janelle McDonald mentioned. “We’ve prepared the team all season long to have that mentality when we go out into competition.”
UCLA positioned second within the finals final season, with Chiles and Brooklyn Moors capturing the NCAA uneven bars and flooring train titles.
The Bruins received their first NCAA Regional title since 2019, leaping from third place into first after ending with a 49.625 group whole on flooring within the remaining rotation at 197.725, one-tenth forward of second-place Minnesota and .225 forward of third-place Utah.
UCLA senior gymnast Ciena Alipio leaps within the air after her dismount on the steadiness beam on Jan. 17.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
“I thought regionals were just such, such an amazing competition for our freshmen that were being thrown in some big pressure situations, and they just really stepped up to the plate and handled it with so much confidence and that was really great to see,” McDonald mentioned. “And I think that really bodes well for us heading into the NCAA [championships.]”
Chiles can be one good 10 on beam away from a senior-season grand slam. The two-time Olympic medalist has already received three particular person NCAA titles, however that is her final likelihood to get a shot on the all-around title along with the group championship.
Her good 10 on flooring within the regional, which was her eighth good mark this season, helped the Bruins win their semifinal.
“Having Jordan has just been so amazing,” McDonald mentioned. “Just her energy and the passion that she brings to our team each and every day. Obviously, her gymnastics skill level is incredible, but she just really has become such a leader for us. She leads by example. She leads with her energy, but she really leads with her passion and with her heart.”
But Chiles isn’t the one athlete powering the Bruins run to the NCAA championships. She is considered one of six UCLA athletes who competed on this stage final yr.
“Having all of that depth really has been so helpful all year, especially in those meets where we had girls that were down because they were sick, or little things flared up here and there,” senior All-American Ciena Alipio mentioned. “But we had people who could step up and really fill those positions. So it’s been really awesome to have a lot of people on every event.”
UCLA is among the most constant groups on beam within the nation, led by Alipio and Katelyn Rosen. Alipio had a fall in the course of the Big Ten championship and he or she bobbled in the course of the first spherical of regionals, however she posted a superb 9.925 within the regional remaining to assist the Bruins to a slender lead going into their profitable flooring routine.
They’ve been up and down on vault, however Chiles took that regional title to assist the Bruins, whereas sophomore Riley Jenkins has additionally had some success within the occasion.
Bars may be the x-factor for all of the groups within the match. In the regional semifinal, UCLA’s 49.225 was its season low. LSU and Oklahoma have additionally struggled on the variable bars routine in the course of the match.
Top-seeded Oklahoma is the defending champion, claiming its seventh U.S. national collegiate title final April.
The semifinals additionally function particular person finals, with the national champions being decided within the all-around and on all 4 occasions after the 2 semifinal periods on Thursday.
The Bruins have a great likelihood to win a number of particular person titles, and Chiles is a favourite for the all-around, however a group title can be large for a program that got here so shut final season.
“We got to nationals, and that is the top eight out of the entire country, like we’re there,” Alipio mentioned. “Getting to Day 2 is gonna be our goal for Day 1. But if we go out there and do what we’ve been doing all season, there should be no doubt in our heads that we’ll make it to Day 2.”
