UCLA Wins Big Ten Regular Season Gymnastics Title for Second-Straight Year

“I’m celebrating with pizza and Wingstop. Everybody has their own way of celebrating. Now it’s just keep pushing forward, and our celebration is grinding harder.” – Jordan Chiles

Look for an in-depth story on UCLA Senior Ciena Alipio coming soon to InsideGym.com!

From UCLA Gymnastics:

No. 5 UCLA won the Big Four meet in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom to clinch the Big Ten regular season title for the second-straight year with a perfect 9-0 record. The conference title is UCLA’s 23rd all-time.

UCLA led from start to finish, but Iowa and Ohio State both kept within a few tenths throughout the meet. The Bruins had a slim first rotation lead after scoring 49.300 on uneven bars thanks to a trio of 9.900s from Nola Matthews, Sydney Barros and Jordan Chiles. The score was .075 ahead of Iowa, who totaled 49.225 on floor, led by JerQuavia Henderson’s 9.900. Ohio State finished the rotation in third with a 49.000 on balance beam, and Maryland was fourth with 48.775 on vault.

Ciena Alipio’s 9.950 on balance beam in rotation two helped keep the Bruins on top with a 49.200 on the event and a two-event score of 98.500, two-tenths ahead of Iowa (98.300) and .225 ahead of Ohio State (98.225).

The Bruins had a shaky start to floor exercise, with two marks under 9.700, but a 9.875 from Tiana Sumanasekera, a 9.900 from Ashlee Sullivan and a 9.950 from Chiles kept the team in first with a 49.225 on floor and a three-event total of 147.725. Ohio State moved into second with a 147.575 after scoring 49.350 on vault, and Iowa kept within .175 after scoring 49.250 on bars. 

Needing a solid vault rotation to keep the lead, the Bruins scored 49.225, bolstered by the return of Mika Webster-Longin, who made her season debut on vault and hit her Yurchenko 1.5 for a 9.800. A pair of 9.850s from Sumanasekera and Sullivan gave the Bruins more breathing room, and Chiles slammed the door shut with a 9.950 on her Lopez vault.

Chiles won the all-around with a 39.625 and took first place on vault and floor and tied for first on bars with Matthews, Barros and Iowa’s Aurelie Tran. Alipio took first place on balance beam.

The Bruins will next compete at Stanford on March 7 at 2pm. 

Vault – Jordan Chiles, UCLA (9.950)

Bars – Nola Matthews, Sydney Barros, Jordan Chiles, UCLA; Aurelie Tran, Iowa (9.900)

Beam – Ciena Alipio, UCLA (9.950)

Floor – Jordan Chiles, UCLA (9.950)

Photo courtesy Jesus Ramirez, UCLA Athletics