After the NCAA semifinals a couple of days back, the UCLA Bruins believed that maybe, this season was theirs. Led by the daunting figure of Jordan Chiles, the Bruin were dreaming of ascending to the top of NCAA gymnastics. Unfortunately, not all dreams come true and this was exactly the case with the UCLA Bruins. Coming into the finals, they faced off against the raging Oklahoma Sooners. While the OU faltered in the semis, in the finale, the Sooners came back with venegeance and lifted the title. But it wasn’t easy to predict the champion from the get-go! The first rotation had the Sooners and the Bruins going head to head.
In the first rotation, Jordan Chiles’ team’s floor exercise equalled Sooners’ balance beam with a strong 49.6125. But from the second rotation onwards, the Sooners appeared increasingly difficult to tackle. In every apparatus, the OU gymnastics team seemed to shine- even the tricky vault. As a result, while the Sooners lifted the cup with an overall total of 198.0125, the Bruins ended heartbreakingly close with an overall total of 197.6125. And this small bit of difference is what is coming back to haunt the entire Bruins outfit. So much so, that their head coach, Janelle McDonald, could not help but cry over spilled milk.
Speaking with the media after the meet in Fort Worth, Texas, McDonald said that a second-place finish would have felt quite good otherwise. But this time, the situation was different. “I didn’t think second place was gonna sting as much as it does, but I think when you’re in a competitive sport getting so close, it does sting,” said McDonald. She further opined that if somebody did offer her a similar result at the end of last season, she would have gladly pouched it.
“If you had told me last year, or even at the beginning of the season, that we would finish in second — I would be ecstatic,” continued McDonald. Now then, having worked so hard and gotten so much close to the title, this loss will surely be hard to forget for the UCLA Bruins outfit. But they must not get their heads down. Infact, the Bruins had some emphatic performances coming from their seasoned veterans.
UCLA Bruins dominate significantly despite falling short
The UCLA Bruins have been dominating proceedings significantly this season. Coming to the finals too, they had the likes of Chae Campbell making her presence felt in the final year of her collegiate run. Dropping a couple of 9.90 plus scores, Campbell stated that she was always ready to perform for her team. “I’ll never get tired of that feeling of finishing a floor routine and nailing it for the team,” Campbell said. “I don’t know when, or if I’ll ever get the same gratification that I get when I compete for UCLA.”
Adding to the heroics, Katelyn Rosen did a phenomenal job with her floor routine. Rosen mesmerized the crowd as she nailed all of her tumbling passes. Ofcourse, there was Jordan Chiles, who secured perfect 10s from three judges as she had a final score of 9.9750. This had the Bruins’ score rocket upto 49.6125, tying them with the Sooners.
The Bruins also had notable performances from Macy McGowan, Emma Malabuyo, and Brooklyn Moors. Thus, with plenty of positives to take away, the UCLA Bruins will surely look to come back stronger in their upcoming NCAA season.
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