The UCLA gymnastics team has just two more dual meets at Pauley Pavilion left on its schedule before the Pac-12 Championships on March 18. The focus now is on preserving healthy bodies and managing gymnasts’ abilities so that they peak at the right time.
Sunday’s meet against No. 21 Stanford brings a little levity to a serious time of year. The fifth-ranked Bruins will celebrate Title IX this weekend and host a bevy of alumni gymnasts.
“It’s the reason we get to be here doing what we love to do,” Coach Janelle McDonald said. “And just to be able to celebrate all the amazing women that came before us is something that I’m really excited to do this weekend.”
The Bruins (6-4-2 overall, 3-1-2 in Pac-12) have plenty of reasons to show off in front of their alumni. They recorded a 197.900 in their win at Arizona last week and tied a season-best score in vault, an event they had previously struggled with.
Emily Lee posted a career-high score of 9.875 in the event and Jordan Chiles had a career-high 9.975.
“Our vaults are looking more dynamic,” McDonald said. “Body shapes are better in the air, landings are coming in. So we were really excited to see that improvement last weekend in Arizona.”
Chiles won all four events to win the all-around title, scoring a career-high 39.850. She’s now tied with Florida’s Trinity Thomas for the second-highest all-around score of the season nationally and trails Oregon State’s Jade Carey, who leads everyone with a 39.875.
Chiles was the only Bruin to compete in the all-around last week after freshman Selena Harris asked not to compete in floor exercise because of an irritated hip.
“Floor is the easiest place to say like, I don’t really feel 100%, because a lot of people on our team are ready to do floor,” Harris said. “I had trust that my other teammates, any of them could go in and do floor for me.”
McDonald said she plans to have Harris back in the all-around this weekend along with Chiles….
Read the full article here
