UCLA star Jordan Chiles, Bruins beat Utah during her home finale

The UCLA gymnastics team bid farewell to its seniors in a 197.850-197.400 victory over rival Utah in the Bruins final at Pauley Pavilion Saturday night before an announced crowd of 13,089, a school attendance record.

Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles brought back a nostalgic floor routine to ’90s R&B hits to the delight of fans and took home the competition’s all-around crown with a score of 39.800.

Bruins coach Janelle McDonald described Pauley’s energy as “magical.”

“It makes us really proud to represent UCLA and to be here competing at this level against a really great team,” McDonald said. “There is no such thing.”

Tiana Sumanasekera started the evening with a 9.750 on vault. Mika Webster-Longin earned a score of 9.900 and Riley Jenkins followed with a score of 9.900. Ashlee Sullivan earned a score of 9.975, receiving a 10 from one of the judges and earning her first victory as a Bruin.

“I feel like it was definitely a long time coming,” Sullivan said. “…I was trying to find the sweet spot what zone do I need to be in mentally and physically to get in there.”

McDonald excited the fans just before Chiles’ 9.950 to close out the rotation, giving UCLA a slim .050 lead over Utah.

On bars, Ciena Alipio opened the event with a 9.850. Webster-Longin followed with a 9.875. Despite an unbalanced landing, Matthews added a 9.850. Sullivan follows with a 9.900. And McDonald twirled as Chiles landed on the mat to close out his routine, earning a 9.950.

Ashlee Sullivan celebrates after completing a vault that scored a 9.975 during a meet against Utah at Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, March 15, 2026.

(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)

Utah moved closer to the safe, closing out the second rotation behind UCLA by .025.

Needing a big performance on the beam, Sydney Barros set the tone with a 9.825. Webster-Longin recovered after losing her balance during her performance to earn a 9.800.

Sidelined due to injury, Katelyn Rosen broke into a “10” chant with the crowd after Sumanasekera notched a 9.900. Chiles’ teammates and the crowd cheered for a 10 after her performance, then fans booed when the judges’ score of 9.950 was revealed.

Alipio closed the rotation in tears, finishing with a score of 9.925. McDonald questioned the score to a judge, a sentiment echoed by the crowd.

“It’s amazing to have the support of the crowd and to know that they’re behind me 100%, but at the end of the day, I did what I could,” Alipio said. “I performed my best routine tonight and honestly, I couldn’t be more proud of my last beam routine at Pauley.”

After the competition, McDonald said she was curious to see what the judge saw in the performance.

“We don’t always agree with every score, and that’s the nature of sport,” McDonald said. “We focus on the things we can’t control and get feedback with routine summaries to say, ‘OK, what do you see?’ » »

UCLA moved to floor exercises with a lead of 148.300-148.125 after Clara Raposo for Utah was unable to complete her floor routine due to injury.

Alipio finished his senior night with a 9.800. Webster-Longin followed with a 9.875. Barros delivered a score of 9.900 and Sumanasekera finished with a 9.925.

Sullivan, who became the presenter’s set-up, scored a 9.900 on floor. Performing her sophomore routine, Chiles closed the competition with a 9.950 and held back tears while being mobbed by her teammates.

The Bruins will next travel to Champaign, Illinois to compete in the Big Ten Championship.

With every game remaining on the road this season, Alipio isn’t worried about the team losing its edge.

“Energy is energy,” Alipio said. “Whether it’s positive or negative, we can turn the tide and use it to our advantage.”

Chiles is also confident in his team’s ability to win anywhere.

“We bring Pauley everywhere. I’m Pauley,” Chiles said. “…The music, the vibes, everything — we’re Pauley and I think that’s why it’s so easy for us to walk into an arena and watch [it] and say, “You know what, this is our house. »

“If we are the best show in Los Angeles,” she added, “we can be the best show in the world.”