This post was updated March 10 at 10:34 p.m.

The Bruins set the table for their final conference win of the year.

Leading the Sun Devils by over five-tenths of a point heading into the fourth rotation, it would take more than a counted fall from the Bruins to lose the meet.

But in the final two routines, the win slipped by the tip of their fingers.

Falls by seniors Frida Esparza and Katie McNamara on beam sent No. 10 UCLA gymnastics into unforeseen territory, reaching a new low two weeks before the postseason by falling to No. 18 Arizona State 196.625-196.325 in its final Pac-12 dual meet in program history. The score marks the Bruins’ lowest of the season and worst since February 2022, when they scored 195.475 on their last trip to Tempe.

“It was not one of our best days,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “We have a lot of things that we need to work on. We have a lot of things that we need to get consistent on as far as like when we’re coming out to the competition, not changing things that we are doing in the gym.”

Sophomore Selena Harris competed the all-around in every meet this season – except for Saturday.

Some teams could panic if the No. 10 all-arounder in the nation – and the Bruins’ top-ranked all-arounder – was out during its final conference road meet. But while UCLA’s veterans faltered to close the meet, the first-years took a step up.

On the other end of the experience spectrum, freshmen Katelyn Rosen, Alex Irvine and Paige Anastasi had career-high meets. 

“Our freshmen are just game-changing for us,” McDonald said. “To see the success that they are having on the competition floor, it feels great, and the future is bright.”

With the Bruin’s top scorer out, the trio stepped in with a combined four personal-best scores on vault and bars.

Irvine led UCLA with its only 9.900 on bars to start the afternoon. After falling on the event in her last two competitive bars routines, she set a career-high and took home the first event title of her collegiate career. 

“That has been a long time coming,” Irvine said. “I’ve struggled with the performance side earlier in the season, so it felt good to hit, especially since I had some family in the stands.”

Rosen notched a 9.850, contributing to their 49.150 total on the event to tie the Sun Devils after one rotation.

UCLA’s freshmen continued to make a statement, with Rosen leading the Bruins with the highest score on vault, notching a 9.900. Anastasi led off the event with a stuck Yurchenko full, earning a career-high 9.850.

Rosen, who won the all-around Saturday with a 39.450, said there was extra motivation to perform with Harris resting.

“I’ve been working really hard on the little things in practice, so it’s always nice to see your hardwork pay off,” Rosen said. “We needed Selena to rest this meet, so I knew I had to step up and own that all-around role even more.”

As the first of three 10.0 start value vaults for the Bruins, Irvine competed a Yurchenko pike with a full twist onto the table. Despite being off center in the block off of the table, Irvine readjusted in the air to score a career-high tying 9.850.

The Bruins led at the halfway point, but soon thereafter, the dam began to break.

UCLA’s floor rotation began uncharacteristically, with graduate students Emma Andres and Chloe Lashbrooke each scoring below 9.800. The latter failed to eclipse the 9.000 barrier.

But Rosen, once again, got the Bruins back on track with the team’s first 9.900 on the apparatus. 

Junior Brooklyn Moors and graduate student Nya Reed each scored above 9.90 to secure UCLA’s day-high 49.300 event score – almost a full point better than the Bruins’ 48.425 on beam to end the meet

With the lowest team score of the season now out of the way, the Bruins have their eyes set on getting better ahead of the postseason, McDonald said.

“We can still learn the lessons from today and really take into them the gym and gain confidence,” McDonald said. “We still have time this season to turn things around and that is what our focus is going to be.”