| Gymnastics |
|---|
| UCLA — 196.950 |
| Iowa — 196.475 |
| Ohio State — 196.425 |
| Maryland — 195.025 |
Being first up can be nerve racking.
For freshman Nola Matthews?
You could not even tell.
“Nola had an opportunity last week on floor,” said coach Janelle McDonald, “So I think that really kept her to feel ready for that. It was a quick turnaround from letting her know that she was up first, but I felt like she handled that very well.”
The No. 5 UCLA Bruins women’s gymnastics team (13-2, 9-0 Big Ten) won the Big Fours quad meet with a score of 196.950. The Bruins hosted No. 18 Iowa, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 25 Maryland at Pauley Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 27.
UCLA began its first event on the uneven bars. Senior Ciena Alipio set the tone, sticking a balanced routine for a 9.850. Soon after, freshman Tiana Sumanasekera executed a 9.750 in the same event without a single stumble.
Don’t be fooled, the near-perfect landings did not end there. Matthews and junior Sydney Barros both secured the Bruins’ highest scores of 9.900 on uneven bars. Ohio State, Iowa and Maryland followed the Bruins’ high energy and were able to score high on vault, beam and floor events.
Up to this point, all teams were close in points. Within the second rotation, junior Katelyn Rosen scored a new season low on beam of 9.750. Nonetheless, moments after, Alipio landed a score of 9.950. Though the crowd cheered for a perfect 10.000, Alipio was able to keep up her nine-week streak of scoring within range of a 9.900. Even with the help of added points, the Bruins had scored their lowest on beam of the season, 49.200.
“I think this year I set out some big goals for myself,” said Alipio, “I also had a really big goal for this team, and I think you’re seeing the results of every hard practice that we’re having. I think today was a great test to the fight that we have to put in every single weekend, and I’m really proud of the team.”
Through those said tests, the Bruins remained in the No. 1 spot throughout all four rotations despite season lows and a leg injury to Rosen.
Fiercely taking on this step, Matthews filled Rosen’s position on the floor and scored a 9.675 during the third rotation. In support of their freshman, senior Jordan Chiles scored a high 9.950 with her 80s inspired choreography.
Iowa faced a slip entering the fourth rotation, lowering their overall score and giving UCLA an advantage. Sumanasekera followed through for the Bruins on vaults, scoring a 9.850 on the final event of the night. Chiles closed off the event after landing a score of 9.950, totaling the Bruins to a final score of 196.950.
Despite the challenges the Bruins faced during the quad meet, the gymnastics team secured the Big Ten regular season championship, a huge milestone for the team.
“We don’t need to be perfect in the moment,” said Chiles, “We just have to continue to hit and do what we need to do. So I’m very proud of this team. I’m very proud of the fight, especially, you know, we have midterms, we have all these things happening and the student athletes showed this week.”
The team is motivated to push themselves further with what they learned together during the meet. The Bruins will compete again next week, Saturday, March 7, at Stanford at 2 p.m. PST.
