Thursday, April 13
Fort Worth, TX
6:00 PM
UCLA
vs
NCAA Semifinal II (Oklahoma, UCLA, Utah, Kentucky)
2023 NCAA bars and floor champion Jordan Chiles
Photo by: UCLA
Bruins Finish Third in NCAA Semifinals; Chiles Wins Bars, Floor Titles
April 13, 2023 | Gymnastics
Fort Worth, Texas – The Bruins stormed out to a lead at the halfway mark of the NCAA Semifinals but were unable to hold on in the final two rotations, placing third with a score of 197.9125, the highest non-advancing score in NCAA semifinal history. Advancing to Saturday's final were Utah (198.2250) and Oklahoma (198.1625), along with Florida and LSU from the first semifinal.
Bruin sophomore Jordan Chiles won the uneven bars and floor exercise national titles, which put UCLA in a tie with Georgia for the most-ever individual NCAA titles with 42. Chiles scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars to capture the championship on the Bruins' last routine of the meet, and she earned a near-perfect 9.9875 on floor exercise to finish first. She becomes the eighth Bruin to win uneven bars and the ninth to win floor exercise. Chiles also placed second in the all-around with a 39.7125.
The Bruins took the early lead after an impressive 49.5125 on balance beam. UCLA's first two competitors – Emily Lee and Ciena Alipio – scored 9.900. Ana Padurariru followed with a 9.7875, and Chiles scored 9.8250 after a short landing on her double pike dismount. But UCLA's final two competitors came through with huge scores, as Harris scored 9.9375 and Emma Malabuyo scored 9.9500 to move into the lead on the event.
With one rotation to go, the Bruins moved to uneven bars trailing Oklahoma by 0.3000 and Utah by 0.1375. Things got off to a great start when Campbell hit a career-high-tying leadoff score of 9.900. After two scores of 9.8000 or lower, Harris delivered a 9.9125, and Frazier hit for a 9.9000. Chiles' perfect 10 gave the Bruins a chance with a final bars score of 49.5125, but Utah slammed the door shut with a 10 of its own from Maile O'Keefe on beam, a score that also secured O'Keefe the all-around title. Utah's 49.6875 on beam pushed the Utes ahead of Oklahoma, who had scored 49.4625 on vault.
Five Bruins earned a total of 11 WCGA National Championship All-America honors after placing in the Top 8 in their semifinal session. Chiles led the pack with four first-team honors (all-around, vault, bars, floor). Harris was a first-team honoree in the all-around and on floor and a second-team honoree on beam. Campbell earned first-team acclaim on vault and second-team on floor, and Frazier and Malabuyo each received first team honors, on floor and beam, respectively.
UCLA finishes its season, the first under McDonald, with a 21-8-2 record. The Bruins won a share of the Pac-12 regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2019.
Bruin sophomore Jordan Chiles won the uneven bars and floor exercise national titles, which put UCLA in a tie with Georgia for the most-ever individual NCAA titles with 42. Chiles scored a perfect 10 on the uneven bars to capture the championship on the Bruins' last routine of the meet, and she earned a near-perfect 9.9875 on floor exercise to finish first. She becomes the eighth Bruin to win uneven bars and the ninth to win floor exercise. Chiles also placed second in the all-around with a 39.7125.
The Bruins took the early lead after an impressive 49.5125 on balance beam. UCLA's first two competitors – Emily Lee and Ciena Alipio – scored 9.900. Ana Padurariru followed with a 9.7875, and Chiles scored 9.8250 after a short landing on her double pike dismount. But UCLA's final two competitors came through with huge scores, as Harris scored 9.9375 and Emma Malabuyo scored 9.9500 to move into the lead on the event.
UCLA's floor party made its way to Fort Worth, with a record-breaking performance. The Bruins scored their highest-ever NCAA postseason floor score with a 49.7125. Brooklyn Moors started with a 9.8625, and Malabuyo scored 9.8875 despite her music cutting out for part of her routine. Harris followed with a career-high 9.950, sticking her opening full-twisting double back. Margzetta Frazier tied her career-best with a 9.950, her second-straight meet with that mark. Chae Campbell earned a 9.9375, and Chiles finished with a near-perfect 9.9875, receiving four 10s and two 9.950s from the six judges. UCLA's floor performance kept the Bruins in first place with a two-event score of 99.2500, ahead of second-place Oklahoma (99.0375) and third-place Utah (98.8625).The beam of our dreams! ??@EmmaMalabuyo ties the top score on BB with a 9.950!@uclagymnastics | @TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/mWL5WCtiWY
— USA Gymnastics (@USAGym) April 14, 2023
The Bruins lost the lead, however, in the third rotation after scoring just 49.1750 on vault. Campbell and Chiles each provided scores of 9.9000, but no other gymnast scored higher than Harris' 9.8000, and UCLA had to count a pair of 9.7875s.We are all in awe of @ChilesJordan with this routine ?? @uclagymnastics #ThatsaW pic.twitter.com/RqevO5RJXG
— ESPN (@espn) April 14, 2023
With one rotation to go, the Bruins moved to uneven bars trailing Oklahoma by 0.3000 and Utah by 0.1375. Things got off to a great start when Campbell hit a career-high-tying leadoff score of 9.900. After two scores of 9.8000 or lower, Harris delivered a 9.9125, and Frazier hit for a 9.9000. Chiles' perfect 10 gave the Bruins a chance with a final bars score of 49.5125, but Utah slammed the door shut with a 10 of its own from Maile O'Keefe on beam, a score that also secured O'Keefe the all-around title. Utah's 49.6875 on beam pushed the Utes ahead of Oklahoma, who had scored 49.4625 on vault.
"Obviously not the result we wanted today, but I couldn't be more proud of this team," said The R.C. Rothman UCLA Head Gymnastics Coach Janelle McDonald. "I think back to where we started from, and just the growth in joy, and growth in determination, and growth in being a family that I saw out there today … it's more than I could ever ask for."JORDAN CHILES WITH A PERFECT 10 ON BARS ??#ThatsaW I @uclagymnastics pic.twitter.com/siyllcYgkE
— ESPN (@espn) April 14, 2023
Five Bruins earned a total of 11 WCGA National Championship All-America honors after placing in the Top 8 in their semifinal session. Chiles led the pack with four first-team honors (all-around, vault, bars, floor). Harris was a first-team honoree in the all-around and on floor and a second-team honoree on beam. Campbell earned first-team acclaim on vault and second-team on floor, and Frazier and Malabuyo each received first team honors, on floor and beam, respectively.
UCLA finishes its season, the first under McDonald, with a 21-8-2 record. The Bruins won a share of the Pac-12 regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2019.
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