Jordan Chiles shines but UCLA finishes third in competitive Collegiate Quad meet
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UCLA, which moved up to No. 1 in the women’s gymnastics rankings after winning its first meet, knows it must continue to polish the small details of its routines and stay focused to win a national title after finishing as runner-up last season.
On Saturday, facing potent Oklahoma, Louisiana State and Utah at the Collegiate Quad in West Valley City, Utah, the Bruins saw just how difficult it will be to win a championship.
UCLA finished in third place. Oklahoma, the defending national champion and top team in the preseason coaches’ poll, and LSU, which was ranked No. 2 in the preseason, tied for first place. The Sooners won the meet on a tiebreaker.
UCLA’s Jordan Chiles finished second in the individual all-around competition with a total of 39.575 behind LSU’s Kailin Chio, who posted a score of 39.6.
The Bruins started on the uneven bars with a team total of 49.425. Chiles and Tiana Sumanasekera led the scoring with 9.9 marks. Katelyn Rosen, Nola Matthews and Ashlee Sullivan all posted 9.875 scores.
At the end of the first rotation, UCLA was in the lead and Oklahoma was in second place with a 49.350 score on the vault. Utah finished last after three falls on the beam, producing its lowest score since February 2000.
Moving over to the balance beam, the Bruins struggled at the start, with Matthews falling and Sumanasekera wobbling. UCLA closed off the rotation with strong performances from Chiles scoring 9.85 and Ciena Alipio 9.925.
Still, UCLA dropped to third, with Oklahoma taking control of the top spot after a strong performance on the uneven bars.
The UCLA women’s gymnastics team sent four freshmen to the floor during their successful meet last weekend against Washington, California and Oregon State.
The Bruins failed to gain ground in the team competition after moving to the floor exercise during the third rotation. They finished with a total of 49.125 after Chiles capped their performance with a 9.925. Her score was enough to tie for first as an individual in the floor competition, her sixth event title this season. UCLA closed the rotation with a total score of 147.725, leaving Oklahoma and LSU in front of them batting for first with a difference of 0.175 points.
During UCLA’s last rotation, Sumanasekera scored a 9.875 on her vault. Rosen and Riley Jenkins scored 9.825, Sullivan scored 9.850 and Chiles closed with a 9.9. It wasn’t enough to mount a comeback. The Bruins maintained their place in the team competition with a total of 197 points, behind Oklahoma and LSU, both with 197.5 points.
UCLA returns to Los Angeles and will host Nebraska on Jan. 17 in the Bruins’ first home meet of the season.
