Bruins Honored by College Gym News
April 18, 2023 | Gymnastics
Harris had a stellar rookie season, earning seven All-America honors and finishing sixth in the all-around, eighth on balance beam and fourth on floor exercise. She spent the entire season ranked in the Top 7 nationally in the all-around. She competed 55 out of 56 possible routines this season and hit every routine, averaging over 9.9 on bars, beam and floor and just a hair under 9.9 on vault. Her all-around season average was 39.652, and she scored 39.500 or higher in all 13 all-around attempts. She totaled 43 scores of 9.9 or higher and 15 scores of 9.95 or higher, including a perfect 10 on vault at the NCAA Regional Final to help UCLA earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. Harris was named the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year and earned a Pac-12 record-tying six Freshman/Newcomer of the Week awards, including five in a row to start the season.
Chiles was lauded for her sportsmanship throughout the season. The 2020 Olympic medalist and three-time World Championship medalist was frequently seen pumping up the crowds, her teammates and even other competitors during competitions. Competing at rival Utah in February, while waiting to be signaled for her performance on floor exercise, she gave an extended ovation to Ute gymnast Maile O'Keefe, who had just scored a perfect 10 on beam. When Harris scored her first career perfect 10, Chiles exuberantly celebrated her achievement just seconds before she had to vault with the competition still on the line. On top of that, Chiles had one of the biggest seasons in the NCAA, winning two national titles and placing second in the all-around, capturing two Pac-12 crowns and being named the WCGA West Region Gymnast of the Year.
UCLA's coaching staff, all in their first year in their roles, led UCLA to its first NCAA Championships appearance since 2019 and a final national ranking of fifth. The Bruins also won a Pac-12 regular season co-championship and finished the regular season ranked No. 4 nationally, 10 spots higher than they ranked the previous year. The Bruins improved their NQS by nearly nine-tenths of a point, going from 197.090 in 2022 to 197.950 in 2023, and their season average of 197.774 was 0.895 higher than a year ago, marking the greatest improvementย by any Power 5 team. UCLA scored 197 or higher in all but one meet this season (missing by just one-tenth in that meet) and had three scores of 198 or higher, including a high of 198.275. The Bruins went 24-for-24 in 12 of 14 meets, the most by any team in school history..
Players Mentioned
