When Utah’s Avery Neff – the No. 1 recruit in the 2024 class – fell flat on her stomach on bars in the first rotation, there seemed like there was a moment UCLA could breathe.

The Bruins’ highest-ranked competitor was sitting in last place with one left to compete on bars. That gymnast was eight-time All-American Grace McCallum, who saved her team with her third perfect 10 on bars and fourth overall this season. 

And from there, the Red Rocks inched closer and closer until the Bruins scored their lowest bars total since Feb. 1 as Utah posted a season-high 49.625 on floor.

At that point, it looked like No. 5 seed UCLA gymnastics (29-4, 9-0 Big Ten) would miss an NCAA championship berth for the second consecutive season. But unseeded Denver’s (16-6-1, 4-2 Big 12) 48.900 on vault – the squad’s lowest since March 14 – revived UCLA’s season and fumbled the Pioneers’ lead, which it held after the first half of the competition. A 197.825 total for No. 4 seed Utah (14-4, 6-0 Big 12) earned the Red Rocks a spot in the NCAA championships. 

“A big theme of the John Wooden Pyramid at UCLA and at the top is competitive greatness,” said graduate student Chae Campbell. “That’s what I kept telling myself. We are that team that can make it to nationals, and if we’re going to be competing with the best of the best, we have to show that we are competitively great.”

Except for junior Jordan Chiles, who scored a 9.900 on bars, the Bruins posted five scores below 9.875 to contribute to UCLA’s 49.275 event total. The tally marked the squad’s lowest score on the event since Feb. 1. 

Meanwhile, the Red Rocks earned four 9.925-or-higher marks on floor to take a .250 comeback lead over the rest of the teams. As Utah’s score built up its lead in the meet’s second half, Denver saw its national qualifying hopes slip away as the Pioneers set a meet-low 48.900 on vault.

Utah’s Zoe Johnson scored a 9.950 on vault to seal the Red Rocks’ spot in the NCAA championships, while a trio of 9.900s on beam from Chiles, senior Emma Malabuyo, and junior Ciena Alipio was just enough for UCLA to remain in second place. 

“Going into the last rotation, I was feeling a little bit of nerves looking at the scores, but again, they also motivate me,” Malabuyo said. “Our team has faced adversity throughout the entire season, so when it came to that moment, I knew that we’re going to hit and we’re gonna make it.”

Although the Bruins earned their lowest beam score since March 2, a season-high 49.475 vault rotation total kept UCLA afloat.

Led by a mix of experience and youth, freshman Mika Webster-Longin and Campbell posted the Bruins’ highest scores on the event. Webster-Longin notched a career-high 9.950 to mark her second 9.925-or-higher on the event in postseason competition and her second career high of the night. Meanwhile, Campbell tied her season-high 9.925 on the event, marking her best vault performance since Feb. 7 against Washington.

“The athlete (Webster-Longin) that came in in September probably wouldn’t be able to handle the moment that she just did,” coach Janelle McDonald said. “She really dove into the team right from the get-go, and every step of the way, she wanted to be at her best for the team. And I think when you can take hold of that mentality and compete for something bigger than yourself, it really allows you to just go out and do your best.”

Chiles and senior Emily Lee brought in a pair of 9.900 marks, contributing to the Bruins’ season-high 49.475 on vault and giving UCLA a .100 cushion over Utah at the halfway point of the competition. 

Anchoring UCLA’s floor rotation was Chiles, who has earned six perfect scores on the event throughout her career. But as a Red Rock-filled crowd chanted for a perfect score for McCallum, Chiles lost her balance and nearly stepped out of bounds, earning a 9.825 mark – her lowest since March 15 and the lowest of the Bruins’ rotation.

Chiles and Neff’s uncharacteristic mistakes on their respective events allowed Denver, which defeated UCLA at regionals last season, to take an early .100-point lead after the first rotation. The Pioneers’ margin, however, only lasted until the third rotation.

“I always say that it’s 50% physical and 50% mental,” Campbell said. “When things change like that, because we know that it can happen in a flash, anything can happen, so really tapping into the mental, I think that’s what separates the good teams from the great.”

Webster-Longin tied her career-high 9.900 on floor she set Feb. 14, and Campbell and graduate student Brooklyn Moors scored 9.900 and 9.950 marks, respectively, to contribute to UCLA’s 49.450 floor total. 

After falling out of a qualifying spot during the third rotation, the Bruins ultimately kept their season alive and will head to Fort Worth, Texas, for their first NCAA semifinals appearance since 2023 on April 17.