UCLA’s pursuit of a ninth national gymnastics championship came up just short Saturday.
The fifth-seeded Bruins couldn’t muster enough magic in the final rotation, finishing as the runner-up to second-seeded Oklahoma at the NCAA championships Saturday in Fort Worth, Texas.
With 198.0125 points and led by all-around champion Jordan Bowers, Oklahoma won its third championship in four seasons and seventh overall. UCLA finished at 197.6125 ahead of seventh-seeded Michigan State (197.2500) and fourth-seeded Utah (197.2375).
Sitting in second with 148.3000 points heading into the final rotation, UCLA trailed Oklahoma by .3375 points and needed some good fortune.
Yet UCLA uncharacteristically struggled on balance beam. Only three Bruins scored better than 9.7875, with Jordan Chiles and Emma Malabuyo each scoring 9.9375 and Emily Lee getting a 9.9250.
UCLA was coming off a 197.7375 in the semifinals Thursday, finishing behind Utah but doing enough to knock off top-seeded defending champion Louisiana State for the fourth and final spot in the final.
Saturday’s 197.6125 would have been enough for UCLA to better Oklahoma on Thursday, after the Sooners scored a 197.550 to win its semifinal. But not Saturday, when the Sooners delivered a 49.7125 in its final rotation on uneven bars and sealed the deal.
It became clear early that it was going to come down to the SEC runner-up Sooners and the Big Ten champion Bruins.
The Bruins were tied with Oklahoma at 49.6125 after starting on the floor in the first rotation, thanks to Chiles’ team-leading 9.9750. Brooklyn Moors, who won the individual title Thursday with a 9.9625, scored a 9.9375.
Oklahoma went ahead 99.2000 to 98.9000 after the second rotation as the Bruins scored 49.2875 on vault, which has been their most challenging discipline all season. Chiles and Chae Campbell had UCLA’s top scores at 9.9000.
The Sooners extended their lead to 0.375 after three rotations. Chiles, who won her second individual uneven bars title Thursday, scored a 9.9625 on bars, with no other Bruin scoring better than 9.8875.
Ever since opening the season with a 195.250, the Bruins, who were seeking their first national crown since 2018, closed with 15 consecutive scores of 197 or higher, peaking with a season-best 198.100 to win the Big Ten Championships.
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