A good team meeting can take you places.
Even first at the Big Ten championship.
After gathering to exchange ideas, set goals and fuel each other with motivation, the Bruins took the floor Saturday night as a unified, unstoppable force.
No. 5 UCLA gymnastics (16-2, 9-0 Big Ten) claimed the Big Ten championship on March 21 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, finishing ahead of Michigan State, Minnesota and Michigan.
The Bruins made their strengths known at the meet. Senior Jordan Chiles scored her seventh perfect ten this season, and career-highs were seen all afternoon for the Bruins.
UCLA set the tone in the first rotation. Junior Katelyn Rosen returned for the first time after missing the last two meets with an ankle injury.
Nonetheless, Rosen did not let that stop her as she scored a 9.850 on balance beam.
Mirroring the power moves, freshman Tiana Sumanasekera broke past her string of 9.850s this season with a 9.925. But despite those strong landings, the Bruins ended the rotation in second place, trailing Michigan by .125.
The Bruins did not sit behind for too long.
UCLA was up on floor in the second rotation, and Chiles performed a crowd-favorite routine that led her to a perfect 10.000.
Freshman Ashlee Sullivan then scored a high 9.950 with her routine, and moments after, Sumanasekera and sophomore Mika Webster-Longin both scored 9.925.
The performances from UCLA helped them maintain the lead over Michigan State in the third rotation on vault.
Sophomore Riley Jenkins helped the Bruins stay on top after scoring her all-time career high of 9.950. Chiles pushed forward on vault and landed a score of 9.925, while right behind her, Webster-Longin scored a 9.875.
The Bruins remained in unison, and it paid off in the final rotation on uneven bars.
Sumanasekera landed a career high of 9.875, and a career best of 9.950 was posted by junior Sydney Barros. Following in the footsteps of her upperclassmen, Sullivan delivered a score of 9.850. These scores, in addition to Chile’s score of 9.950, secured the Bruins a win of 198.100.
Chiles remained the floor champion, scoring her seventh perfect 10.000. She also won the all-around title with a 39.825 and took first on both floor and balance beam.
Barros tied with Chiles for the uneven bars title and Jenkins tied for the vault title with a score of 9.950. Michigan State placed second at 197.475, Minnesota placed third with 196.900 and just .100 points behind, Michigan placed last with 196.800.
The Bruins are encouraged by how they’ve addressed both their strengths and weaknesses, using them as points of focus in practice and incorporating those lessons into each performance to grow stronger as a team.
