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UCLA Hits Season-High 197.650 in Narrow Loss to Utah

by uclabruins.com
Feb 4, 2022
The Bruins celebrate Jordan Chiles' perfect 10 on floor.

LOS ANGELES – Facing No. 3 Utah on an ESPN2 nationally-televised meet Friday night, No. 22 UCLA rose to the occasion and delivered season-high team totals on all four events, scoring 197.650 to smash its season-best score by 1.25 points. The Utes edged the Bruins, however, by just one-tenth of a point, thanks to a 9.975 by Maile O'Keefe on beam to clinch the win. UCLA freshman Jordan Chiles won the all-around with a score of 39.700 and scored a perfect 10 on floor exercise. She also recorded season-highs on all four events, adding a 9.875 on vault, 9.925 on uneven bars and 9.900 on balance beam.

Chiles' perfect 10 was the first on floor exercise by a Bruin since Gracie Kramer's 10 on Jan. 31, 2020 and the first by any Bruin since Kyla Ross' 10 on vault on Mar. 8, 2020. Chiles' Olympic teammate Grace McCallum also scored her first career perfect 10 for the Utes, hitting a perfect routine on uneven bars in the opening rotation.

UCLA recorded season-bests of 49.275 on vault, 49.450 on uneven bars, 49.325 on balance beam and 49.600 on floor exercise.

"They were ferocious about every performance," said UCLA head coach Chris Waller. "What we saw today was - even in routines, when there were slight hiccups - they came back ferociously to their performance and their zone. And it wasn't just the person performing; it was literally every single person on the team. That Bruin Bubble was strong, and they just kept feeding back into it, and you could feel this unbreakable bond between them that propelled them through and fueled them."

The Bruins went 1-2-3 in the all-around, with Chiles taking her first all-around crown (39.700). Senior Norah Flatley earned a career-best 39.525 to place second and also set a new season-high on uneven bars with a 9.950. Sophomore Chae Campbell recorded season-highs on every event (9.900 on vault, 9.850 on uneven bars, 9.825 on balance beam and 9.925 on floor exercise), en route to a season-high 39.500 and third-place all-around finish.

Rotation 1 – UCLA Vault/Utah Bars
Five Bruins set or tied season-highs on vault as the Bruins earned a season-best 49.275. Vaulting for the first time this season, Pauline Tratz scored a leadoff 9.775. Kendal Poston hit a season-best 9.825, a score that was matched by Norah Flatley. Brooklyn Moors (9.850), Jordan Chiles (9.875) and Chae Campbell (9.900) each tied their season-highs. Utah was boosted by a perfect 10 from Olympic medalist Grace McCallum on uneven bars, along with 9.9s from Amelie Morgan and Cristal Isa, scoring a season-high 49.550.

Rotation 2 – UCLA Bars/Utah Vault
The season-highs kept coming for the Bruins as five more achieved best marks for 2022. Campbell led off with a season-best 9.850, and Sara Ulias bested her season-best by two-tenths, scoring 9.875. Ana Padurariu improved to 9.850. Chiles and Flatley finished the set with huge routines that scored 9.925 and 9.950, respectively. While the Bruins were recording a season-best 49.450 on bars, Utah went 49.275 on vault, taking a 99.100-98.725 lead at the halfway mark.

Rotation 3 – UCLA Beam/Utah Floor
The Bruins were led by a pair of 9.9s - another leadoff 9.9 from Padurariu, her third in a row, plus a career-best 9.9 from Chiles, who dismounted with a difficult double pike. Moors set a new career-high with a 9.875, and Campbell set a new season best with a 9.825. The Bruins' mark of 49.325 was another season-best. Utah scored 49.600 on floor, with a pair of 9.95s from McCallum and Sydney Soloski, as the Utes opened up a 0.65 lead

Rotation 4 – UCLA Floor/Utah Beam
Bolstered by the energy from the student section, the Bruins came out on fire with a 9.925 leadoff from Flatley. Sekai Wright, a late addition to the lineup, put the crowd into a frenzy with her routine to music by DMX, scoring 9.825 in her season debut. Tratz earned a 10.0 from one judge and a final total of 9.925 before Chiles scored her perfect 10 in just her second floor routine of her collegiate career. Campbell closed with a season-high 9.925, but it wasn't enough to overtake Utah. The Utes nearly let their lead slip away after two of the first three competitors fell on beam, but a 9.9 from Abby Paulson, a 9.925 from Cristal Isa and O'Keefe's 9.975 sealed the victory for Utah.

UCLA will next compete at Stanford on Saturday, Feb. 12.

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