After coming close to perfection twice last weekend, Selena Harris finally did it.
The sophomore was perfect in her late-night vault in Corvallis.
With Harris’ last perfect score coming from last year’s NCAA regionals, she did it again, sticking her Yurchenko 1.5 for the Bruins’ first 10 of the 2024 campaign.
“I’m very proud that I got that (perfect 10), because I’ve been working really hard,” Harris said. “Now, it’s time to get them on the other events.”
Highlighted by Harris’ dominant, all-around winning performance, No. 8 UCLA gymnastics defeated No. 18 Oregon State and Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey on the road Friday night 197.425-196.700.
UCLA endured notable absences, leaving senior Chae Campbell and graduate student Nya Reed entirely out of the lineups. The pair have been key contributors to the vault and floor lineups, holding perfect 10s as their respective career highs on floor.
Coach Janelle McDonald said the two shifted their role to support the team on the sidelines.
“They were bringing the team together and making sure that we stayed in our Bruin bubble throughout the meet,” McDonald said. “It was great to see some different vaulters go out there and hit their vaults.”
Despite Campbell’s absence on bars, the Bruins started the day with their season-high on the event.
Highlighted by Harris’ 9.950, UCLA established a lead early in the meet over Oregon State. Freshman Alex Irvine fell for the second week in a row, both times on her piked Jaeger, but graduate student Margzetta Frazier bounced back with a 9.900, her season-high on the event.
“I’m hungry for the bars and to get back in the gym and really level up,” Irvine said. “I know I can hit it, but it’s really important to move on and have the memory of a goldfish.”
A season-high and career-high-tying 9.925 from senior Frida Esparza helped the Bruins close the event with their top bars score of the season – a 49.450 in the first rotation.
Irvine bounced back in the second rotation, showcasing one of three 10.0 start values for the Bruins, scoring a 9.850 in her vault debut. Sophomore Maddie Anyimi entered the lineup for the second time this season, scoring a season-high 9.800 on her flared-out Yurchenko full.
“The thing about Alex is, she doesn’t miss in the gym very often,” McDonald said. “We’re going to continue to work on and put her in pressure situations in the gym and continue to build our confidence there.”
Harris’ 10 brought UCLA’s vault score to a 49.275 – its second-lowest score on the event this season.
The Bruins headed to floor for the third rotation with junior Brooklyn Moors leading the Bruins, matching her career-high of a 9.950.
Along with two other 9.900-plus scores from freshman Katelyn Rosen and graduate student Emma Andres, the Bruins notched a 49.450 on floor. Despite matching their highest event score of the day, it was the second-lowest floor total of the season for the Bruins.
“This was one of the events where two of our consistent lineup competitors were not in,” McDonald said. “Overall, I thought the performance of our floor party continued to shine even though we had some different people in the lineup, and that was exciting to see.”
Heading into the final rotation, UCLA held a sizable lead over Oregon State, sitting .925 above its opponent.
Andres showed some nerves on beam, falling on her gainer layout stepout and wobbling on her front toss. The Bruins rallied on and hit five routines, erasing the fall from the scoreboard.
Following Andres’ career-low score, Harris came back with a 9.950, her third straight 9.900 or higher score in three weeks. The Bruins totaled a 49.250 on the event, with Harris’ performance notching the beam title and securing the all-around win over Carey.
Friday’s performance marks the fourth 197-plus team score for the Bruins and their highest away score of the season. It also marks the third straight Pac-12 win for UCLA, with two more Pac-12 meets against No. 2 California and No. 4 Utah at Pauley Pavilion ahead.
“Every single meet the last three weekends has built our confidence that they’re really locked in on the job,” McDonald said. “The sky is the limit for this team, and I’m excited to watch them continue to build on what they’re doing out on the competition floor.”
