THE University of California-Los Angeles Bruins, led by Jordan Chiles and Fil-American Olympian Emma Malabuyo, notched a 197.550 team score for the second consecutive week to clinch its first Big Ten Conference win in women’s gymnastics.
The Bruins beat the University of Maryland Terrapins, which were three points behind at 194.850, in front of a record crowd of 7,287, over at the Terrapins’ home turf in College Park.
Chiles, a member of Team USA’s gold-medal winning squad at the Paris Olympics, claimed three golds, and earned the Bruins’ first perfect 10 of the season, in the uneven bars in the first rotation.
Malabuyo, a member of Team Philippines at the 2024 Olympiad in France, took the balance beam honors with an almost perfect 9.975, according to the Bruins’ official website.
“It was a really fun place to compete today,” said The R.C. Rothman UCLA Head Gymnastics Coach Janelle McDonald.
In rotation two, UCLA got season-high marks from its first three vaulters. Emily Lee led off with a 9.850, followed by a 9.875 by Brooklyn Moors and a 9.900 by Chae Campbell on a stuck Yurchenko full.
This gave the Bruins a team score of 49.150, while Maryland got ahead with a 49.250 on bars.
Then, the Bruins moved away after scoring 49.525 on floor exercise in the third rotation, with Malabuyo leading the way with a series of five 9.85s or higher, followed by Macy McGowan’s season-high 9.900.
With Malabuyo nearly ending her stint with a 10 from one judge and a final score of 9.975, the Bruins got a strong finish in the balance beam in the final rotation, scoring a national-best 49.550 in the event.
The Bruins next head to their home grounds in Los Angeles for two straight encounters on Saturday against Illinois and Michigan State.