By Avalon Kelly
At the NCAA Championship Semifinals on April 13, UCLA was barely scraped out of the top two positions that move on to the final round. Despite not moving on, the Bruins competed exceptionally well, with their star gymnast Jordan Chiles shining as always. As the end of their season has come to a close, here is a quick wrap-up of the team’s shining moments these past couple months.
- Emily Lee scores career-high 9.90 on beam at season opener: Coming back from a long-lasting injury, Lee set the tone for UCLA’s first home meet with her high-scoring beam routine. Although the Bruins would end up losing this meet, Lee showed her fans and teammates that she was back and ready to have a successful season.
- Selena Harris with a near-perfect 9.975 on vault vs. Iowa State: With an almost-perfect Yurchenko 1.5 vault, Harris earned her career-high at this Senior Night meet. A Yurchenko consists of a round-off onto the springboard and then a back handspring onto the vault. This skill is especially difficult to complete perfectly, and Harris’ score blew away the competition this night.
- Jordan Chiles with a perfect 10 on bars at NCAA Championship Semifinals: Chiles barely missed out on earning the all-around title after scoring this perfect 10 as her final routine of the night. With seemingly effortless transitions between the uneven bars and a perfectly stuck landing, Chiles certainly deserved this last perfect score of the season.