No. 11 UCLA gymnastics will travel to College Park, Maryland, for its first taste of Big Ten dual competition against No. 23 Maryland on Saturday. The matchup will be the first that counts toward conference records and will be the first step to determine the Big Ten regular season champions. This week’s scouting report comes from Sports contributor Ella Dunderdale, who broke down both teams before showtime.

UCLA
Ranking: 11th
Strength: Floor
Weakness: Bars
X-Factor: Jordan Chiles

UCLA gymnastics’ roster is packed with talent, and coming off a quad-meet victory in week two, the Bruins are a team to watch this season.

One of UCLA’s most promising contenders is junior Jordan Chiles, who returned to the squad after deferring the 2024 season to train for the Olympics. Despite only rejoining the team in December, Chiles has come out with a bang, delivering on vault, bars and floor. Once she returns beam to her repertoire, she has the potential to be the Bruins’ top all-arounder.

Chiles shines brightest on floor, tying for the highest score in the country last week with a 9.975. She is well within arm’s reach of a perfect ten, having last earned one in April 2023.

But Chiles is not the Bruins’ only asset on floor.

Graduate students Brooklyn Moors, Chae Campbell and senior Emma Malabuyo all secured a 9.900 or above at the Saturday event, launching the Bruins into a No. 4 national ranking on floor. Moors, in particular, has shown impressive consistency on the event between the first two weeks of competition and is ranked No. 5 in the nation on floor after tying her career-high of 9.950 last week.

After recovering from week one missteps, the Bruins have since climbed to a No. 4 national ranking on beam. Malabuyo is one of UCLA’s beam stars, averaging a 9.912 this year. The two-time All-American is one of UCLA’s three rostered Olympians and someone the Bruins can rely on to anchor the lineup.

When it comes to vault, freshman Macy McGowan shows potential. As a Level 10, McGowan notched the national title on vault, and she could be a stuck landing away from repeating that feat in the NCAA.

Since UCLA’s season opener, McGowan has competed on three of the four events. The Seattle local has all-around potential, and with explosive showings in her first two competitions, she is bound to continue making waves.

The Bruins need to make headway on bars after significant week one falls set them back. However, graduate student Frida Esparza consistently delivers, reinforcing the team with a 9.863 average.

McGowan put up a 9.875 on bars last week, helping provide the stability UCLA needs on the event.

The Bruins have all the tools to take down the Terrapins on Saturday. It just depends on whether they can funnel last week’s momentum into another triumph.

Maryland
Ranking: 23rd
Strength: Floor
Weakness: Vault
X-Factor: Alexa Rothenbuescher

Maryland’s first week of competition echoed the Bruins’, recording a 195.400 and placing third at the San Antonio Collegiate Invite. However, its week one total was 0.15 higher than UCLA’s first performance of the year, and if the Bruins fail to deliver, they could experience deja vu after an uncharacteristic first-week showing.

Like UCLA, Maryland flourishes on floor, having improved its ranking from 30th last year to 15th. The lynchpin of its success is Alexa Rothenbuescher. She notched a 9.900 – the highest Terrapin score of the night – on the event last week.

Rothenbuescher was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch ahead of the 2025 season. As a graduate student, she added beam to her repertoire and proved that it is never too late to grow as a gymnast. She has the potential to step into the shoes of 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten pick Emma Silberman, who departed the team after graduating last season.

Although beam was Maryland’s lowest-ranked event last season, coach Brett Nelligan’s squad has made progress this year, scoring a 48.850 total on beam last week. Madeline Komoroski is a standout on the event, boasting a 9.925 career high and a 9.875 performance in week two.

Layla Hammer and Victoria Gatzendorfer also excelled, achieving a pair of 9.800s on beam and improving upon their 2024 average. This upward momentum is what the Terrapins need to upset Saturday’s competition.

Sarah Saville showed promise on bars in her NCAA debut, securing a 9.825 last Saturday. Like with beam, Maryland showed glimpses of improvement last week as Hailey Merchant notched a 9.800 – a stark difference from her average of 9.388 last season.

Silberman’s departure left many holes in Maryland’s lineups, but none have been affected as much as vault. Last year, Silberman concluded her career competing at the NCAA championships as an individual on the event – the first Terp to make it to the national stage since 2001.

This year’s vault crew only showcases two returning starters. Vault could benefit the most from improvement and consistency. Natalie Martin may be the one to provide that boost, notching a 9.800 last week and owning a career-high of 9.925.

Although Maryland is faced with rebuilding after losing key competitors, focusing on taking steps forward and finding consistency may help it in this upcoming meet.