This post was updated Jan. 4 at 5:31 p.m.

It may not have been an Olympic stage.

But senior Jordan Chiles and freshman Tiana Sumanasekera – UCLA gymnastics’ two Olympians – stole the show at the Bruins’ first competition of the season.

No. 4 UCLA gymnastics earned a 196.975 mark to win the Best of the West Quad at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, defeating Washington, No. 20 California and No. 17 Oregon State and sweeping the vault, beam and floor rotations. Chiles, a 2024 Paris Olympian, brought down the house, winning the all-around by over half a point with a score of 39.725 and earning or tying for the highest score in every rotation. 

“I was just so impressed with how she (Chiles) showed up today and how she was honestly so supportive of all of her teammates in everybody’s corner, bringing the energy, checking in on people, but also just showing up and competing as steady and amazing as she did,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “She stepped up as an incredible leader today.”

The Bruins’ lineup showcased just ten performers, with Chiles and junior Katelyn Rosen competing in the all-around.

Sumanasekera – a 2024 Paris Olympic alternate – was originally slated to compete in the all-around but opted for an exhibition spot in bars and was replaced by junior Sydney Barros moments before her turn in the lineup.

“I definitely think you’ll be seeing her again. In that moment, she was warming up, a little bit nervous and had a couple mistakes in her warmup,” McDonald said. “Just decided to take the pressure off a little bit and put her in the exhibition role so that she gets that experience but also is able to build confidence.”

A trio of underclassmen – freshman Ashlee Sullivan, sophomore Mika Webster-Longin and freshman Nola Matthews – showcased their fight to earn lineup spots as well, competing in three of four events each.

While Webster-Longin was consistently a member of the Bruins’ vault lineup last season, she competed in every rotation but vault Saturday. McDonald said Webster-Longin is working on some “confidence things for vault” – but added that she is expecting to see her back in the lineup soon.

“I’m definitely hoping to get into the all-around soon,” Webster-Longin said. “I was very proud of myself to be able to show up in three events today.”

The Bruins ended the night on beam, logging their highest mark of the night – a 49.525 – and the three highest individual scores of the event. Chiles posted a meet-high 9.975, a mark she hasn’t reached since March 2023.

Sumanasekera proved to be a strong addition to the lineup, earning a second-place 9.950. Senior Ciena Alipio anchored the group, notching a third-place 9.925. Including a pair of exhibition scores from freshman Jordis Eichman and Sullivan, no Bruin logged a beam score lower than a 9.800.

“The credit goes to Lacy (Dagen) for beam – she is an incredible, incredible beam coach,” Webster-Longin said. “We really used how we’ve been working in practice on beam as confidence to go into that rotation.”

UCLA ended the 2025 season with bars as its lowest-ranked event at No. 8. But Saturday, the squad put up a 49.225 – its second-highest-scoring rotation of the meet. Chiles’ stuck landing earned her a 9.925 – the Bruins’ highest individual score, tying for the highest overall mark. 

Sullivan and Webster-Longin notched a pair of 9.850s, while Sumanasekera, competing in an exhibition slot, matched the same mark.

Chiles, again, proved to be an ace up the Bruins’ sleeve during the vault rotation. After the Bruins failed to score higher than 9.825 in their first five vaults, the senior anchored the rotation with a 9.900, nearly sticking her Yurchenko double full.

Sophomore Riley Jenkins and Sullivan both took a step after landing their Yurchenko 1.5 vaults, nabbing a pair of 9.825s. Sumanasekera and senior Madisyn Anyimi both opted for a Yurchenko full – boasting a start value of 9.95 – and took small hops upon landing, which earned them 9.800 marks.

Despite holding the No. 1 floor ranking nationally in 2025, the Bruins opened the new year with their lowest score on the event at 49.075. 

Chiles’ new floor routine stood out in an otherwise low-scoring event, earning a 9.925. The Houston local, who performed her previous season’s Prince-themed routine during UCLA’s Meet the Bruins showcase in December, stuck both of her tumbling passes to the tune of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” by Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” She was the only athlete of the afternoon to score above a 9.850.

Sumanasekera showcased consistency in the Bruins’ floor rotation, tying for second overall with a mark of 9.850. Webster-Longin’s first pass had too much power, causing her to take a step on the landing, but the Richmond, California local quickly regained composure and logged a 9.825.

“I was honestly pretty happy with my floor routine. I definitely think there are some things to still work on, probably leaps,” Webster-Longin said. “We have a pretty young floor lineup with our freshmen, which is awesome. … Floor is up and coming – we’ll have that down very, very soon.”

Rosen – who is typically one of the Bruins’ most steady performers and led off the rotation – stepped out of bounds on her last pass, eliciting a one-tenth deduction for a team-low 9.675 that was dropped from the cumulative total.

The squad’s cumulative tally of 196.975 is nearly two points higher than its opening performance of 195.250 last season, providing an early benchmark as the squad prepares for the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad on Jan. 10 in West Valley City against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 LSU and No. 5 Utah.

“We’re looking forward to next week – it’s going to be a great competition on podium against some of the country’s best teams,” McDonald said. “I’m so happy we got to have today and get our feet wet for (this) season.”