This post was updated April 16 at 11:49 p.m.

FORT WORTH – The Bruins were in second place.

The chance to secure a second consecutive national championship came down to the final rotation.

But a season-low vault score – the Bruins’ lowest on any event this year – let it slip away.

No. 4 seed UCLA gymnastics took third place in Thursday’s national semifinal with a 197.275 – less than two-tenths behind No. 13 seed Minnesota, which will move onto its program-first national championship alongside No. 1 seed Oklahoma. No. 9 seed Arkansas rounded out the competition in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Bruins will not return to Westwood empty-handed, however, as senior Jordan Chiles capped her final collegiate competition with a 9.975 on floor to earn her second NCAA floor exercise title.

“I didn’t think it was going to be my final floor routine, but honestly, I’m very proud of myself,” Chiles said. “I’m happy that I went out there and just gave it my all. It’s a testament to everything I’ve accomplished in the four years of being a part of UCLA. And I’m happy that that was the last routine people got to see.”

Chiles also received the AAI Award, given annually to the most outstanding senior gymnast in the NCAA.

Although the Bruins entered the final rotation ahead of the Golden Gophers, a 48.975 on vault knocked them out of championship contention. Freshman Tiana Sumanasekera set the tone with a 9.850 to match her regional final score, but junior Katelyn Rosen followed with an underrotated effort, falling backward for a season-low 9.2125 – leaving no room for error the rest of the rotation.

That margin disappeared when sophomore Mika Webster-Longin also came up short, taking multiple steps back for a 9.5875 that was forced to count toward the team total.

Though sophomore Riley Jenkins and Chiles added a 9.850 and 9.8875, respectively, with small hops on their landings, UCLA could not recover.

“I told the team this one day doesn’t define our season. We had a lot of really amazing moments and won a lot of meets,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “And we’re going to learn from these moments. The returners that we have coming in next year, they’re going to learn from it. It’s going to light a fire, to be a little bit more dialed in, a little bit more prepared mentally for these moments.”

UCLA Athletics did not provide interview availability for a second athlete.

The Bruins were able to deliver their signature floor party, however, counting no scores lower than 9.8625.

Junior Sydney Barros earned a 9.8625, surpassing her 9.839 average. Webster-Longin and Sumanasekera added a pair of 9.8875s, each topping their season averages. 

And when freshman Ashlee Sullivan took the floor, the energy in Dickies Arena shifted as Britney Spears blasted from the speakers. The freshman stuck both passes en route to a 9.9375, tying for fourth place nationally.

Chiles brought the house down as anchor, delivering a full-stuck routine for her floor-title-winning 9.975 – earning three perfect 10s from the six judges.

UCLA posted a 49.550 – its fifth-straight floor score at or above that mark – to move into a short-lived second place.

“We didn’t start off with our strongest rotation, and so I thought that they really turned the page and the next two events really went lights out,” McDonald said. “They were fighting for each moment and trying to stay present through it. So there’s a lot of wins today and a lot of growth.”

The Bruins notched a 49.4875 on beam, their highest tally since Jan. 17. Rosen led off for the squad, sticking the landing after several balance checks to earn a 9.850. Barros followed with a stuck landing of her own for a 9.8875.

Webster-Longin stuck her acro series cold, taking a small hop on the dismount to score a 9.8625 – her highest beam mark since Jan. 17. 

The rotation closed with Chiles and senior Ciena Alipio, who delivered stuck routines that marked the Bruins’ first scores above 9.900 of the night, earning 9.950 and 9.9375, respectively. Alipio’s mark placed sixth nationally, while Chiles finished second. The squad finished the second rotation less than a tenth shy of second place.

[Related: Bouncing back on beam: How Ciena Alipio overcomes setback for NCAA semifinals] 

The Bruins started the night on bars, with all but one counted score exceeding the gymnast’s average. Sumanasekera and Sullivan notched the only stuck landings of the rotation, earning a pair of team-high 9.8875 marks.

“At the end of the day, I really want them to love what they do and love who they do it with. And if that’s how we’re going to define success, that’s 100% a win,” McDonald said. “Because I think they love gymnastics. They love working hard, they love the grind behind it, and they love who they’re doing it with. … They’re walking away with some amazing relationships and some great gymnastics memories – and that’s what’s important.”

Barros took one step back on the dismount en route to a 9.8625. Webster-Longin earned a matching mark with a small hop backwards on the landing – redemption for the sophomore after she arched her handstand at the regional final and earned a season-low 9.200.

But for the first time all season, Chiles made a critical error. The senior carried too much momentum into her opening handstand, went over the bar and had to restart her routine. Though she responded with an otherwise near-flawless set – capped by a stuck landing – she still received a 9.3625, her lowest score on any event this season.

And while the Bruins’ 49.2625 on bars was not the total they were chasing – leaving them in fourth place heading into rotation two – it still topped their 49.225 from the regional semifinal.

And with that, Olympian Jordan Chiles took the final tumbling pass of her collegiate career, closing it with 19 perfect scores, two NCAA floor titles and two NCAA bars titles.

“It’s bittersweet knowing that this was my last time,” Chiles said. “I was simmering everything in, the crowd and all of that, after my vault. To know that I’ve done so much within this sport and college just means everything … I am as authentic as possible, and just showing the younger generation that you literally can do anything you put your mind to it, you’re going to accomplish it.”