LOS ANGELES — A standout performance on vault got the UCLA gymnastics team out to a high-energy start during Monday afternoon’s meet against Utah, but the Bruins faltered in the final rotation to lose a Pac-12 meet for the first time this season.
No. 4 Utah overtook No. 9 UCLA, 197.300-196.975, at Pauley Pavilion in a high-intensity rivalry meet that came down to the final event.
Selena Harris’ brilliant white smile and a stick closed out UCLA’s vault rotation when she scored her second straight 10.0. The perfect score was a repeat of her performance against Oregon State the previous week.
“She’s asking for coaching,” head coach Janelle McDonald said. “You’ll even see her in the warm-ups at a competition come up and be like, ‘hey, what do I need to do?’ She holds herself to that standard and I think that’s really what it takes to be as often successful as she’s been.”
@haleymsawyer UCLA and Utah gymnastics go up against each other in a dual meet for the last time ever in the Pac-12. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and his family even showed up. full story: https://www.dailynews.com/2024/02/19/ucla-gymnastics-selena-harris-gets-2nd-straight-10-0-in-loss-to-utah/ #california #losangeles #la #sports #womenssports #girlpower #gymnastics #ucla #utah #bruins #redrocks #pac12 #big10 #big12 #stafford #larams #perfect10 #rivalry #ncaagymnastics
Harris also won the all-around with a 39.675 score. Freshman Katelyn Rosen scored 39.350 across four events to finish third.
Rosen recorded a 9.900 on vault and Chae Campbell reached a 9.925 in the event for a 49.525 team score – the Bruins’ second-highest vault score in the last four seasons and the fourth-highest in the last 12 seasons.
“We’re just dancing at the end of the vault runway and we’re just so relaxed when we’re training,” Harris said. “I think the biggest thing is that we talk to each other. So I think that was very helpful, just communicating, because we’re all doing the same vault, essentially.”
Harris moved on to score a 9.95 to win uneven bars, then Margzetta Frazier tied a season-high in the event with a 9.900 as the Bruins took a 98.825-98.400 lead after two events.
Utah took a 147.900-147.700 lead after scoring 49.500 as a team on the floor exercise while UCLA recorded a 48.875 on the balance beam, leaving the fate of the meet to the final rotation.
“I felt like some of the (beam) scores affected their energy, so that’s something we’ve gotta work on moving forward,” McDonald said. “To make sure that our energy and the things that we can control are what stays at the forefront of our mind throughout competition.”
UCLA has dubbed floor exercise its “floor party” due to its ability to give the Bruins a boost in scores when they need it most. The team was ranked fourth nationally in the event heading into Monday’s meet.
The event that has been counted on all season to pull UCLA through came up short, even with a multitude of alumni gymnasts cheering them on for the Bruins’ annual alumni meet. Two Bruins stepped out of bounds as UCLA recorded its second-lowest floor exercise score of the season with a 49.275.
McDonald said the training leading up to the meet might have affected the Bruins’ performances. The gymnasts had been taking more soft landings instead of hard ones to help save their joints midway through the season.
“We need to do kind of a little bit different mixture going forward,” McDonald said, “because when you’re taking soft landings, you’re not training in the boundary of the floor. And so I think we probably want to adjust that a little bit this week.”
Harris’ 9.95 tied for first place on the floor and Nya Reed finished strong with a 9.850 to anchor UCLA. But on the other side of the gym, Maile O’Keefe logged a 9.975 – with a 10.0 from one judge – on the balance beam to secure Utah’s victory.
“Unfortunately, I can’t control scores,” Reed said. “I feel like I went up there and I did a really great routine. I’m not going to let scores dictate the way I feel about myself and what I know I can do.”
Monday’s dual meet marked the final Pac-12 contest between UCLA and Utah. The Bruins will head to the Big Ten next season due to conference realignment, while the Red Rocks will shift to the Big 12.
McDonald said she intends to keep Utah on the schedule due to the high-level performance that the competition between the two schools tends to breed. Dual meet outcomes between the two teams were decided by 0.150 or less in four of the past six seasons.
“We do plan to continue having these competitions,” McDonald said. “It’s two legacy programs with an amazing tradition and history and so when we’re able to get on the floor with them, it’s a special meet. We definitely want to continue that moving forward.”
