Bruins top seed at Pac-12 Championships
It's been quite the season for first-year UCLA gymnastics coach Janelle McDonald. The Bruins enter the Pac-12 Championships this weekend as the No. 1 seed after a season of steady progress.
“I'm just really proud. That's really the only thing I can I can say that sort of describes how I feel,” McDonald said. “This team has come a really long way and I just see the joy and the passion that they're competing with and practicing with and I just couldn't be more proud of where they're at.”
UCLA, which is ranked No. 4 nationally, will compete in this evening's session at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah at 5 p.m. Utah, California and Oregon State will also be in the session.
Arizona State, Stanford, Washington and Arizona will compete in the afternoon session prior in the day. Whichever team has the highest score from the two sessions will be the Pac-12 champion.
The Bruins (8-4-2, 4-12) haven't lost a dual meet since Feb. 3 against Utah and surpassed a 198.00 team score in both of the last two meets. Chiles was selected as Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week for the fifth time this week and Selena Harris tied a record with her sixth Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Week award.
The momentum doesn't stop there. UCLA tied with California, Oregon State and Utah for the Pac-12 regular season title and secured the No. 1 seed in the conference championships thanks to its national ranking.
There's little pressure within the team, only a commitment to consistency and letting loose once in a while.
“At the beginning of the week, Janelle just let us play on bars because she knows that when we like have fun and be ourselves, that's when we also perform our best,” sophomore Ana Padurariu said. “It kind of takes a little mental break from the routines, which is also a big refresher.”
Padurariu has seen her bars scores go up consistently as the season has gone on, and she says McDonald's readiness to give corrections and advice no matter how busy she is has helped her grow her confidence.
That sentiment is echoed by the team. McDonald's positivity has spread and has the gymnasts in a good place mentally as they ready for the postseason.
“(The coaching staff) has all bought into what we want out of the season,” junior Chae Campbell said. “We're a working unit together. If we all have that one common goal, they're willing to work with us with whatever we need.”
UCLA recorded the sixth-highest team score in program history in its last meet, which was a Senior Meet celebration against Iowa State. The Bruins reached 198.175 with help from Chiles' perfect 10.0 on uneven bars and career best 39.900 all-around score.
Harris had career-highs in three events for a 39.75 all-around score. As a team, UCLA set a season-high score in vault and tied for a season-best on balance beam.
The Bruins are seeking their 20th Pac-12 title this weekend and will begin the evening session on vault, then proceed to uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise, an event order that's consistent with what they've seen at home meets all season.
“The traditional Olympic order sets us up really well,” McDonald said. It's probably our favorite to get to end with a floor party. It's what we're super comfortable with. It sets us up well to be able to be confident and aggressive tomorrow.”