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UCLA's Jordan Chiles, shown here competing on the uneven bars against Stanford at Pauley Pavilion on March 9, won the NCAA title in the discipline on Thursday night. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
Jordan Chiles screamed in relief. Tears welled in her eyes as she stuck her uneven bars dismount.
When it mattered most, the Olympic gold medalist delivered at the NCAA semifinals in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday night. She posted a score of 9.975 on the uneven bars to put her in position to win another title in the event as No. 5 UCLA held first heading into the final rotation, with less than two-tenths of a point separating four teams.
Needing their beam routines to connect after Emily Lee posted a sub-9.70 score, the Bruins went to work. Led by senior Emma Malabuyo's meet-high 9.975 beam score, UCLA outpaced top-seeded Louisiana State to secure the fourth and final spot in the NCAA championship final, finishing with an overall score of 197.5250.
Read more:Led by Jordan Chiles, UCLA's Olympians shine in final home meet for Big Ten champs
No. 4 Utah took first Thursday with a 197.7625.
“I might cry again,” Chiles told ESPN after the meet at Dickies Arena. “I believed in this team from the very beginning. There's so much pride, so much joy, so much fun in the atmosphere. I knew this was our year.”
Chiles became NCAA uneven bars champion for the second time, while Brooklyn Moors secured her first NCAA title in floor exercise with a 9.9625. The Canadian graduate student lifted UCLA to a 49.5250 first-rotation score for an early lead. The Bruins counted five scores on floor above 9.86, three of which landed at 9.90 or higher.
UCLA will compete for the national title against No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 7 Missouri and Utah on Saturday at 1 p.m. PDT (ABC) as it tries to win its first national championship since 2018.
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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