| Gymnastics |
|---|
| UCLA — 197.775 |
| Stanford — 197.425 |
Perfection arrived in the middle of the meet Saturday afternoon.
With the competition tightening inside Maples Pavilion, senior Jordan Chiles stepped up big time on uneven bars and delivered a flawless routine, earning a perfect 10.000 and igniting UCLA’s momentum. The performance highlighted a dominant all-around outing for the senior and helped No. 5 UCLA gymnastics (14-2, 9-0 Big Ten) defeat No. 10 Stanford (7-4, 5-0 ACC) 197.775-197.425 in Palo Alto.
UCLA opened the meet on vault, posting a 49.250 team score. Chiles anchored the rotation with a 9.925, while sophomore Riley Jenkins delivered a career-high 9.900 on her Yurchenko 1.5. Freshman Tiana Sumanasekera led off with a 9.825, and senior Madisyn Anyimi added a 9.800 as the Bruins established an early lead.
The Bruins followed with their strongest event of the afternoon on uneven bars, recording a 49.575. Chiles’ perfect 10.000 anchored the lineup, while freshman Nola Matthews contributed a career-high 9.950 with a stuck landing. Freshman Ashlee Sullivan and sophomore Mika Webster-Longin each added 9.900 routines to push the Bruins to their highest event total of the meet.
However, Stanford responded with a 49.600 bars rotation, narrowly edging UCLA on the event and keeping the meet tight heading into the final rotations.
UCLA responded with poise on balance beam, quieting the Maples Pavilion crowd with a steady 49.475 rotation. Sumanasekera and senior Ciena Alipio shared the event title with matching 9.950 routines, while junior Sydney Barros posted a 9.875 and Chiles matched the mark in the anchor spot. The composed rotation allowed the Bruins to hold onto a narrow lead over Stanford heading into the final event.
The Bruins closed the meet on floor exercise with another 49.475, putting the finishing touches on the win. Webster-Longin and Sumanasekera each recorded 9.925 routines to lead the rotation, while Chiles and Sullivan added 9.900 scores to help UCLA hold off the Cardinal.
Chiles finished the afternoon with a 39.700 all-around score, also claiming the vault and bars titles. The routine marked the 17th perfect 10.000 of her career and her sixth this season.
Webster-Longin delivered a very strong all-around performance as well, earning a career-high 39.425 in her first all-around appearance of the season. Sullivan also recorded a career-best 39.325 across her three events.
Despite Stanford’s strong showing, the Bruins maintained consistent scoring across all four rotations to hold off the Cardinal and secure the top-10 road victory.
UCLA will conclude its dual meet season Saturday, March 14, hosting Utah at Pauley Pavilion at 7:00 p.m. PST.
