This post was updated Jan. 29 at 10:53 p.m.
Jordan Chiles cheered as she landed the final pass of her floor routine.
Nearly 8,000 people in Pauley Pavilion roared with her.
No. 6 UCLA gymnastics tied No. 16 Oregon State on Sunday afternoon in front of the largest crowd ever at a UCLA home opener. Despite counting a fall, the Bruins broke the 197 mark for the third time this season with a 197.275.
UCLA began its first home meet of the 2023 campaign with season-high 9.825s on vault from freshman Maddie Anyimi and redshirt senior Margzetta Frazier. Junior Chae Campbell, freshman Selena Harris and sophomore Jordan Chiles anchored the rotation with a streak of 9.900-plus scores, leading the Bruins to a season-high 49.400 on vault to kick off the meet.
In her first home meet in Westwood, coach Janelle McDonald said the home crowd brought a new element to the meet.
“The energy was unlike any other,” McDonald said. “It’s definitely a competition that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life.”
Campbell led off bars for the Bruins with a season-high-tying 9.825. Sophomore Ana Padurariu followed suit with a season-high 9.875 after an equipment malfunction and an ensuing score inquiry from UCLA. Senior Kalyany Steele continued the streak of season highs with a 9.850.
After a near-perfect 9.975 from Jordan Chiles, UCLA finished the rotation with a 49.450, a one-tenth improvement from its previous meet.
Sophomore Emily Lee led off with a career-high 9.900 on beam. Lee said being in the leadoff spot is a comfortable position for her.
“I love that spot,” Lee said. “It’s cool to have that spot because it shows a lot of trust from the staff, a lot of trust from the team.”
But on what has now thrice been the lowest-scoring event for UCLA this season, no other Bruin posted a 9.900 score or above. Both Campbell and sophomore Emma Malabuyo fell off the apparatus, leaving UCLA to count the latter’s 9.375 en route to its lowest rotation score of the season.
With one rotation left, the Bruins had relinquished their lead and trailed the Beavers by 0.225.
Lee made her collegiate debut on floor, leading off the final rotation with a 9.850. The sophomore said making her UCLA floor debut in front of a home crowd was a memorable experience.
“It meant so much,” Lee said. “It was just a moment I’ll hold forever.”
UCLA posted three more season-high scores in the rotation – a 9.925 from Harris, 9.975 from Chiles and 9.950 from Campbell.
The Bruins countered their season-low event score on beam with a season-high 49.625 on floor to cap off the meet. Despite the high mark, they were unable to eclipse the Beavers, ending the meet in a 197.275 tie. UCLA initially was announced the winner of the meet, but a scoring inquiry after the competition left the two teams in a deadlock.
Nevertheless, Chiles said the team was focused on its own performance rather than the scores.
“Being able to stay in ourselves … and cheering for our teammates gives us the motivation to go back in the gym and be like, ‘We can do that then, and we can do that later,’” Chiles said.
UCLA will return to the road Friday at 6 p.m. to face off against No. 4 Utah.
