UCLA gymnastics breaks 198 against California with highest score since 2019

This post was updated March 7 at 12:06 a.m.

Career-best performances from three all-arounders led the Bruins to their best score in three years.

In front of the eyes of many program alumni – including Katelyn Ohashi, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Gracie Kramer – No. 17 UCLA gymnastics upset No. 8 California 198.050-197.200, spoiling the visitors’ chance to outright clinch the Pac-12 title. 

Freshman Jordan Chiles led the team with a career-high 39.800 in the all-around, while senior Norah Flatley scored a 39.750, surpassing her previous career high of 39.525. Sophomore Chae Campbell also tallied a career high in the all-around with a 39.700 and received a perfect 10 from one judge on floor.

While Flatley said she didn’t expect to be an all-arounder this season, she said she has been able to excel on all four events by taking everything day by day.

“I didn’t really have too high of expectations for myself in the all-around,” Flatley said. “The coaches kind of talked about before the season started that I would only be on vault if I’m needed, and I don’t train it during the week. … But overall, I just try to keep a steady mindset and just keep my expectations level.”

The Bruins stormed out of the gates with their highest-scoring vault rotation of the season, scoring a 49.475 after Campbell anchored the rotation with a perfect 9.950 on her Yurchenko full. 

Flatley blew past her previous career high of 9.850 with a 9.900 courtesy of a stick, while Chiles tied her career high of 9.900. In all, UCLA didn’t count a vault score lower than senior Kendal Poston’s season-high 9.850.

Coach Chris Waller said he knew Flatley had something special in store based on her performance in warmups. 

“Norah came out and stuck her warmup on vault,” Waller said. “Sticking vault hurts a lot, especially when you’re a senior. I just knew there was something today that was going to be a little different in what she was bringing. Her sticking the vault first up in the meet set a tone.”

The Bruins carried the momentum of the season-best vault performance onto bars, where Campbell registered her second straight career high of the afternoon with a 9.900 to open the rotation. 

But after a season-high 9.800 in the second spot by junior Kalyany Steele, consecutive stumbles by freshmen Emma Malabuyo and Ana Padurariu on their landings prevented UCLA from counting five hits. 

Chiles and Flatley helped the Bruins ultimately tally 49.175 on the event despite the miscues, with Chiles notching a 9.975 and Flatley anchoring with a 9.950. Chiles’ 9.975 was her fifth score above 9.900 on the event this season as UCLA headed into the halfway point of the meet up by 0.050 over Cal.

The two all-arounders continued their streak of 9.900-plus scores on beam, where Flatley followed up Chiles’s career high 9.925 with a career-high-tying 9.950 of her own. 

Senior Samantha Sakti added a 9.900 after not competing on the event in the Bruins’ last meet, and Malabuyo earned a perfect 10 from one judge en route to a career-high 9.975. 

Waller said his team was able to flip a switch after Padurariu’s landing on bars.

“We had the glitch in the middle, and something clicked when (Chiles) finished bars,” Waller said. “It’s almost a feeling of sort of invincibility, and it’s not about competing against someone else, it’s about whatever we try to do. That competitive bubble becomes so strong that judgment from anywhere just doesn’t interfere.”

UCLA’s 49.625 on beam marked the seventh-highest score on the event in program history and its best since 2019. A 49.250 by the Golden Bears on floor allowed the Bruins to extend their lead to .425.

The season-high event score didn’t last for long. The team didn’t count a score lower than 9.900 on floor, with all six gymnasts hitting the 9.900 threshold for a 49.775. 

Chiles said the score was a reminder of why the Bruins call it a floor party.

“We call it a floor party for a reason,” Chiles said. “Because you don’t want to go to a normal party and be alone on the floor. You want to dance and have people with you. So that’s what we incorporated, and I think that’s an amazing thing.”

With the Bruin alumni gymnasts dancing along on the sidelines, Chiles notched her second perfect performance of the season on floor. Campbell nearly earned her second consecutive perfect 10 with a 9.975 in the anchor spot, securing the Bruins’ highest score since 2019. 

“It’s amazing that I did get it (the perfect 10),” Chiles said. “At the same time, I just wanted to go out there and be excited and enjoy the moments that I had, not only with my girls, but also with myself. So getting a 10 is like a cherry on top every single time.”