UCLA
Ranking: No. 6
Strength: Floor
Weakness: Bars
X-Factor: Jordan Chiles
The number five seems to be symbolic for UCLA gymnastics.
As the Bruins enter week five of competition, they can also look back at five wins in their season record – counting five scores above a 9.900 at two of the squad’s most recent victories.
UCLA has climbed the national rankings every week since its second meet, but now a question remains: Could it add a top-five national ranking to the list?
Two Bruins have already achieved top-five national rankings on beam and floor this season – which, not by coincidence, are UCLA’s highest-ranked events. Senior Emma Malabuyo’s consistency earned her a No. 3 ranking on beam, and the veteran hasn’t recorded a score below 9.900 on the event this season. As a steady anchor for UCLA’s beam lineup, she’s helped carry the squad to its No. 5 ranking on the apparatus.
Graduate student Brooklyn Moors joined Malabuyo in the national rankings, grabbing the No. 4 spot on floor. Moors’ scoring trends on floor are a mirror image of Malabuyo’s on beam, only featuring scores of 9.900 or above.
Although UCLA holds top five rankings on beam and floor, bars is still the only event in which the Bruins have achieved perfection in 2025. Despite junior Jordan Chiles’ perfect score against Maryland, bars is UCLA’s lowest-ranked event at No. 18.
Chiles fell from perfection in Maryland to a 9.750 at UCLA’s home opener against Illinois – the dropped score from UCLA’s bar total.
But Chiles later proved herself on beam. Her 9.775 in Maryland bumped her to the exhibition spot against Illinois, where she improved her score to a 9.850 – a score that would have been counted had she made the competitive lineup.
Vault is in the lower half of UCLA’s event rankings, but the Bruins’ steady improvement should not be overlooked. UCLA’s vault score has increased at every meet this season, with a season-high 49.325 against Illinois.
An upward trajectory on vault could be exactly what the Bruins need to maintain their winning streak when they meet one of their toughest competitors this season.
Michigan State
Ranking: No. 5
Strength: Vault
Weakness: Floor
X-Factor: Nikki Smith
Michigan State and UCLA are neck and neck in the national rankings, but their strengths are what set them apart.
Whereas UCLA’s artistry swept the squad to top-five rankings on beam and floor, Michigan State’s power drove it to top-ten national rankings on vault and bars.
Vault was the force that drove the Spartans to success this season with a 49.306 average – the fourth-highest mark in the nation. After racking up four stuck landings last week against Ohio State, Michigan State posted a season-high vault total of 49.450.
One of the Spartans’ stuck landings is attributed to junior Nikki Smith, who notched her third 9.950 this season. Smith holds the nation’s No. 2 ranking on vault, which is Michigan State’s highest individual rank in an event.
But a 9.950 mark isn’t Smith’s limit. She has notched perfection on the event twice – the most recent time being in the 2024 season. Junior Sage Kellerman accompanied Smith in achieving vault perfection at two meets last season. Kellerman has continued to shine on the event in 2025, notching a season high of 9.925 in the Spartans’ season-opener against Western Michigan.
Even though beam and floor are Michigan State’s two lowest-ranked events, it maintains No. 8 and 12 rankings on the two events, respectively. Senior Skyla Schulte is tied with Chiles for the No. 8 spot on floor, averaging a 9.912 in 2025.
Consistency appears to be the issue for the Spartans on floor. Michigan State recorded a floor score of 49.500 in its home meet against Michigan on Jan. 17, exceeding UCLA’s floor average by 0.075. Michigan State’s 48.900 at the Florida Quad tanked its event average, which sits at 49.225.
As the Spartans hunt for steadiness on floor, Smith’s all-around consistency is also in its early stages. She competed on beam just two times last season but has competed in the all-around at every 2025 competition. Junior Olivia Zsarmani and senior Gabrielle Stephen join Smith as all-arounders, and all three gymnasts are ranked in the nation’s top 30 for all-around.
Saturday’s matchup should prove a challenge for both squads, as they are each set to compete against their highest-ranked Big Ten competitors of the season. Michigan State might need to host its own floor party in Pauley Pavilion to keep its top-five position.
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