This post was updated April 7 at 9:18 p.m.
BERKELEY — Finishing on beam might have been the Bruins’ worst-case scenario.
UCLA counted falls twice on beam during the season, creating unfavorable circumstances heading into its worst statistical event – the one that would determine its fate.
Sitting in second place while heading into the final rotation, only .125 points separated first and third place.
But as each routine concluded, the Bruins watched their chances at nationals dwindle away.
No. 11 UCLA gymnastics’ beam finale spelled the end of its 2024 campaign as No. 6 Denver leapfrogged the Bruins to advance alongside Arizona State on Friday afternoon to the NCAA California Regional Final at Haas Pavilion. UCLA finished with a 197.050 final score, its lowest since it last fell to Arizona State on March 9.
This is the first time the Bruins failed to advance to the regional final in the newest NCAA championship format first introduced in 2019.
“Obviously, we’re really disappointed today with how it went,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “These types of championship meets – the parity across the NCAA is just so strong and there’s so many great teams that you can’t have an off day in a championship meet like this, and today we did, so that’s disappointing.”
Nearly every gymnast wobbled during their beam routine, leading to the 49.250 score that ultimately marked the end of UCLA’s season.
Sophomores Ciena Alipio and Selena Harris were the only Bruins to score above 9.900 on the event – the latter’s only score above 9.900 in the meet. But beam was not the only event plagued with low scores. It started on vault and trended downhill from there.
“I think when you become a little bit hesitant, that’s when you don’t necessarily stick your landing. You take little slides, little hops, little steps, and that’s kind of what I started to see,” McDonald said.
All six Bruins in the vault lineup scored under 9.900, accumulating a 49.150 altogether.
Harris and senior Chae Campbell – two of the Bruins’ top vaulters – couldn’t stick their landings, scoring 9.850 and 9.800, respectively. Junior Emily Lee, on the other hand, led all Bruins with a 9.875.
UCLA led by 0.100 over Arizona State at the end of the second rotation.
That would quickly change.
In the third rotation, the Bruins notched their worst bars performance of the year in which they did not count a fall.
Freshman Katelyn Rosen, who McDonald said was dealing with a back flare-up, fell for the first time in her collegiate career – causing UCLA to count a 9.725 and 9.775 from graduate student Margzetta Frazier and senior Frida Esparza, respectively.
And although Harris’ teammates thought her routine was worth a 10.0, the sophomore scored a 9.850 – her lowest score on the event this season. Junior Emma Malabuyo was the only Bruins to score a 9.900 – tying her career-high.
The Bruins lost their lead to the Sun Devils, one they would never take back.
“We were really really prepared coming in, and it does suck that it ended this way,” said junior Brooklyn Moors. “I guess today just wasn’t our day.”
UCLA, however, kicked the meet off on floor, an unusual spot considering the event has tended to be its finale at home throughout the season.
Graduate student Nya Reed, Moors and Campbell recorded a trio of 9.950s to co-lead UCLA in its premier apparatus. Half of the lineup scored under 9.900, though, leading to a 49.575 overall – a decline from UCLA’s previous two meets.
But that didn’t stop the Bruins from taking a commanding lead over its regional competition, finishing the first rotation in the pole position – the only time it would win a rotation Friday.
UCLA awaits the results of the second session of the NCAA California Regional to learn if any of its gymnasts will advance to Fort Worth, Texas, to attempt to win an individual national championship.
“We’re always behind them no matter who’s going or who doesn’t,” Moors said. “We’re one unit.”
