There is no sugarcoating it – the Bruins didn’t win the national title.

A shaky beam rotation – UCLA’s worst since March 2 – nearly guaranteed Oklahoma’s victory and its third national championship in four years.

But by other definitions, calling UCLA gymnastics’ national runner-up finish a loss would be a mistake. Instead, the Bruins’ performance marked a monumental victory and a mere preview of the threat this squad is poised to become.

When UCLA started its season with a 195.250, its lowest score in nearly three years, the squad was far from the national title conversation. And with former Bruin Selena Harris-Miranda off to Florida and two assistant coaches leaving the program, instability seemed to permeate.

But the Bruins proved their doubters wrong Saturday night.

With only two squads per session advancing past the semifinals, UCLA was on the outside looking in with a No. 5 seeding – behind No. 1 seed LSU and No. 4 seed Utah in Thursday’s competition.

But UCLA made it – and crushed longtime rival Utah in the final. To call it an upset would be a fault – when Jordan Chiles is on the floor, how can you count her out?

The junior deferred the 2024 season, and the Bruins subsequently finished the campaign with their worst ranking since 2006. But after UCLA’s runner-up finish, Chiles has already confirmed she’ll don the blue and gold for her final year of collegiate gymnastics.

“Yes, I am coming back for my senior year,” Chiles said Saturday after the national final. “This is just the beginning.”

What might be UCLA’s biggest success from the national championships was the exposure its newcomers gained. Freshmen Mika Webster-Longin, Macy McGowan and Riley Jenkins performed under the nation’s brightest lights – gaining invaluable experience for when they next return to the stage.

“Competing in the Final Four is an experience that you can’t replicate,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “The experience the freshmen have got throughout the year, but really just in this postseason, is going to be able to give them confidence going into their sophomore year.”

There is no doubt that the departure of graduate students Chae Campbell and Brooklyn Moors and senior Emma Malabuyo will be a big hit to the Bruins’ depth next year.

But the crop is only getting richer in 2026.

UCLA’s incoming recruiting class might be its strongest ever. Tiana Sumanasekera and Nola Matthews – both members of the senior elite national team – headline the cohort.

Sumanasekera – who trained at World Champions Centre in Spring, Texas, alongside Chiles and gymnastics legend Simone Biles – won the three gold medals at the Pan American Championships in 2023. And in 2024, the incoming freshman notched a top-10 overall finish at the United States Olympic Trials and was named an alternate for Team USA.

When Sumanasekera waters down her elite routines at the collegiate level, high scores will fly her way like a flock of birds.

On top of her stunning bar work and incredible difficulty across all four events, Matthews already provides the supportive energy that every squad needs. In 2023 and 2024, Matthews won back-to-back USA Gymnastics’ Sportsperson of the Year honors for her positive impact on her fellow athletes.

The Bruins’ success in Fort Worth, Texas, should also help with future recruiting efforts. UCLA tends to inherit the cream of the crop. Since 1988, more than 20 Olympians have chosen Westwood as their home.

And as uncommitted – and potential future Olympic – gymnasts watched the Bruins have a floor party on the nation’s biggest stage, it likely inspired a generation that could bolster UCLA’s already bright future.

UCLA’s longest national championship drought since 1997 – when it earned its first title – lasted eight years. In 2018, a pair of perfect scores from former Bruin legend Christine Peng-Peng Lee helped topple Oklahoma to secure UCLA’s first title since 2010.

The 2026 season will mark another eight years since UCLA won its last national title. And history looks ready to repeat itself.