LOS ANGELES — UCLA gymnastics reached a new height as a team Sunday afternoon in front of many people who had been part of Bruin history in their own way.
Jordan Chiles recorded her second perfect 10.0 of the season and the Bruins had their highest team score of the season as No. 5 UCLA beat Stanford 198.175-196.825 in its Title IX celebration and Alumni Meet.
“We look up to them,” Chiles said of the alumni present at Pauley Pavilion. “And so giving our best effort, our best performance to show they passed something down for a reason is something that hypes us up.”
The perfect score was Chiles’ first of the season in uneven bars and second overall after she reached 10.0 in floor exercise in early February. She also won the all-around with a 39.875, which ties her for the highest score in the country this season, by winning three out of four events.
Chae Campbell won vault with a 9.950. She hasn’t worked her way back into the all-around lineup just yet but is making strides after missing a meet earlier this season to cope with a death in her family.
“It was definitely a hard time to go through it,” Campbell said, “but it’s nice to be back in the gym and have something to look forward to and be able to take my mind off things.”
The Bruins neared a season-high score in vault thanks in part to Campbell’s score, and set a new season-high in bars. In addition to Chiles’ 10.0, four other gymnasts surpassed 9.900.
Coach Janelle McDonald said that gymnasts were instructed to be “detail queens” this week in practice as a way to improve scores little by little. Sunday’s 49.725 event score was a product of that — and Chiles’ routine in particular.
“She’s swingful,” McDonald said. “She really dials into the details. Her body lines, her form is excellent, and she has these internal body dynamics that are swingful. It looks like a kid playing on the playground a little bit when she’s swinging on bars.”
Floor exercise remains the centerpiece for UCLA. Emma Malabuyo, who only started competing in the event midway through the season, tied with Campbell for second place.
Chiles’ event-winning 9.975 score was met with overwhelming “boos” when it was posted and revealed to the crowd, a rare negative reaction at Pauley Pavilion. The fans wanted another 10.0, and even McDonald struggled to see possible deductions.
“It looked pretty good to me,” the coach said. “We have the ability to turn in routine summaries to the judges and get their feedback after a competition, so we’ll see what the judges have to say.”
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The Bruins’ floor performances were physically surrounded by alumni who descended from their seats in the audience to cheer on the sidelines. They were part of a crowd of 7,542 people on Sunday, which is just shy of the maximum crowd of around 7,700 at the home opener.
Some of those alumni had come to speak to the team earlier this season about progress that has been made in women’s sports. They mentioned times when their textbooks weren’t paid for but the same books were covered for male student-athletes.
“Sometimes when I don’t really want to do something I have to step back and think, I get to do this,” Campbell said. “So many people have paved the way for me to be in this situation. It’s an opportunity and I don’t want to waste any single day.”
UCLA concludes its schedule of dual meets on Saturday, March 11, with a noon Senior Meet against Iowa State, before traveling to the Maverik Center in Utah for the Pac-12 championships.