This post was updated April 13 at 10:49 p.m.
FORT WORTH, Texas — As the Bruins rose in the standings week after week, one event always seemed to hold them back.
It seemed as though, after two 49.500-plus scores at regionals, they had figured out their vault woes.
But a 49.1750 on the event at a crucial point proved to be their downfall once again.
“We trained good on vault yesterday, and I felt like our warmups were great,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “They just got a little bit tight.”
No. 5 UCLA gymnastics placed third at the second NCAA semifinal Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas, with a 197.9125, trailing No. 2 Utah and No. 1 Oklahoma and failing to advance to the NCAA final. The Bruins led the field by nearly two-tenths at the halfway point but failed to capitalize on their lead, once again being forced into an early exit from the postseason.
“At the end, it comes to who makes the least mistakes, and we didn’t make the least mistakes – OU and Utah did,” said redshirt senior Margzetta Frazier. “That’s OK. That’s more fire in our bellies for next year. We’ve come a long way, and I couldn’t ask for anything more tonight.”
UCLA began its vault rotation with three straight sub-9.8000 scores, finding itself counting two 9.7875s from Frazier and sophomore Brooklyn Moors. With freshman Selena Harris barely eclipsing that mark at a 9.8000, even a pair of 9.9000s from junior Chae Campbell and sophomore Jordan Chiles wasn’t able to allow the Bruins to post more than a 49.175 on the event.
At the end of the third rotation, the Bruins’ lead – as well as their spot in finals – was gone, and they needed to make up 0.1375 in the final rotation to have a shot at advancing.
“I huddled them up, and I said, ‘What we work so hard for are these moments,’” McDonald said. “They went to bars, and they fought for everything that they could.”
It seemed a possibility at first, as Campbell led off bars with a career-high-tying 9.9000. But the Bruins weren’t able to have the stellar rotation they needed, ending with a 49.5125, more than two-tenths out of a spot in the NCAA final.
The rotation did end on a high note, however, with Chiles scoring a perfect 10 to take the individual bars title.
“It was a back-to-back emotion,” Chiles said. “I was crying because, ‘Yes, I got a 10.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m crying because my team didn’t make it.’”
Other individual accolades were earned earlier in the meet as well. The Bruins led off on beam with back-to-back 9.9000s from sophomore Emily Lee and freshman Ciena Alipio.
Looking to drop sophomore Ana Padurariu’s 9.7875, Harris and sophomore Emma Malabuyo nailed their sets, earning fourth- and eighth-place individual finishes, and allowing UCLA to finish with a 49.5125 and a 0.0125 lead over Utah after the first rotation.
On floor, the Bruins once again showed why they are the No. 1-ranked team in the country on the event. After Malabuyo put up a 9.8875 in the second spot, Harris and Frazier followed with career-high and career-high-tying 9.9500s, respectively, good for fourth-place individual finishes.
Frazier said she was in disbelief when she received her floor score.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Frazier said. “I have ice on my head, and the girls started screaming, ‘Marz, you got a 9.9500.’… So I’m just really proud of that.”
Chiles anchored the rotation with a nearly perfect 9.9875 to give UCLA a 49.7125 on the event – its highest score on the event this season and the top postseason floor score in program history. The score was also enough for Chiles to take home her second individual championship of the night on the event.
Chiles’ scores earned her fifth on vault in a tie that also included Campbell. Chiles also placed second in the all-around, whereas Harris earned a sixth-place spot in her nationals debut.
“I wish I could say I’m happy, but really deep down, I’m actually really, really sad,” Chiles said. “We just got to keep pushing for it.”
