The UCLA gymnastics team has successfully qualified for the NCAA championship final after securing second place in the semifinals held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. UCLA, seeded No. 5, earned an overall score of 197.7375, narrowly trailing No. 4 Utah by 0.025 points.
With the semifinals completed, the Bruins will compete for the national title on April 19, joining Utah, Oklahoma, and Missouri in the four-team showdown. The event will be broadcast live on ABC at 2 p.m. PT.
UCLA head coach Janelle McDonald expressed her pride in the team’s performance, stating, “I could not be more proud of this team. They set out from day one to make something special happen, and to be headed to ‘Four on the Floor’ is everything we could ask for and hope for. But the job’s not done. We’ve got one more meet, and we’re going to come out swinging on Saturday.”
The Bruins demonstrated strength in their routines, leading after the first rotation with a 49.5250 on the floor exercise, despite dropping to third following a 49.2375 on the vault. A recovery in rotation three with a 49.4250 on uneven bars and a strong finish with a 49.5500 on the balance beam saw UCLA clinch their second-place standing. Utah moved into first after scoring 49.6500 on uneven bars.
In individual achievements, junior and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles claimed her second NCAA individual title in the uneven bars with an outstanding 9.9750 score. Chiles remarked to ESPN, “I might cry again. I believed in this team from the very beginning. There’s so much pride, so much joy, so much fun in the atmosphere. I knew this was our year.”
Graduate student Brooklyn Moors earned her first NCAA title with a score of 9.9625 on the floor exercise, contributing to UCLA’s notable record of 44 NCAA individual titles.
The Bruins have a storied legacy in NCAA gymnastics, appearing 37 times in the competition over its 43-year history. They last reached the final in 2019, finishing third, a year after winning their seventh NCAA championship in 2018.
Details on the championship run are available on the UCLA Athletics website.
