Gymnastics Legend Drops 5-Word Message as UCLA’s 24-Year-Old Earns Much-Awaited Perfect Score

What does it take to convert a dream into a perfect 10? UCLA’s Brooklyn Moors, a 24-year-old Canadian Olympian who is in her graduate season, got the answer on March 29, 2025, at the NCAA Regionals, when she finally earned the coveted perfect score on floor exercise that she had been pursuing all year. As the crowd exploded and her teammates swarmed her in jubilation, gymnastics icon Kathy Johnson Clarke, who was calling the meet for ESPN, gave a brief but powerful five-word summary.

Johnson Clarke, Olympic bronze medalist on beam for 1984 and a commentating veteran for 2001, has traditionally been an outspoken supporter of gymnasts who bridge technique and artistry—hallmarks of excellence Moors achieves. Following the meet, Johnson posted on her Instagram story to compliment Moore’s perfect 10. She added in the posting, “It was worth the wait.” Fifth-year senior Moors’ 2025 campaign had already introduced her as multi-talented. Competing on vault, beam, and floor in UCLA’s first four meets, she recorded a career-best 9.9s on beam twice, attributing assistant coach Lacy Dagen with overcoming her beam phobias.

UCLA’s recent Big Ten Championship run on March 22—where they scored 197.800 in a tight battle with Michigan, Michigan State, and Minnesota—set the stage, though Moors’ floor peaked at 9.925 there. The Regional breakthrough pushed her past that mark, adding to the Bruins’ postseason momentum. While teammate Jordan Chiles has nine career perfect 10s and UCLA graduate Jamie Dantzscher has a program-record 28, Moors’ quest had lingered just out of reach—until today. In competition with the best regional opposition, a combination of flawless tumbling and the choreography that lit up the Tokyo 2020 Olympics—hit a unanimous 10.0 from the judges, her first collegiate perfect score and UCLA’s newest addition to its revered tradition.

The fifth-year senior’s 2025 campaign had already wowed beyond the floor. Switching to vault, beam, and floor for UCLA’s first four meets, she registered a career-best 9.9s on beam twice—a front aerial to back handspring series, assisted by assistant coach Lacy Dagen. On vault, her Yurchenko full averaged 9.875, a consistent contributor to UCLA’s 13-3 record. But the floor was where she reigned. Her 9.925 at the Big Ten Championships on March 22 assisted UCLA’s 197.800, albeit not quite perfection. Regionals turned the script around—her double layout height, the triple twist rotation, and that landing of the double pike removed any question, catapulting her over her previous 9.950 ceilings.

The Bruins recorded a championship-record team score of 198.450—the highest in the history of the Big Ten Championship—besting Michigan State (198.150), Minnesota (197.425), and host Michigan (197.325) in the evening session. The win made UCLA the first team in history to win both the regular-season (9-0 Big Ten mark) and championship titles in its first year in the Big Ten, a feat emphasized by its season-best performance in the third session of the two-day meet. But, three perfect 10s from different gymnasts highlighted UCLA’s championship.

UCLA Gymnastics becomes Big Ten champion with three perfect scores

Graduate student Brooklyn Moors, 24, scored her initial professional perfect 10 in gymnastics on the floor in the fifth lineup position, but there are two other gymnasts who did so as well. Olympic gold medalist junior Jordan Chiles joined Brooklyn Moors with a floor 10.0 of her own—her 10th overall perfect score and fifth on the floor—comprising a double layout, triple twist, and double back, each of them landing perfectly. Junior Ciena Alipio completed the set with a 10 on beam, sharing the event title with Michigan State’s Gabi Stephen. Alipio’s fifth rotation spot was occupied by her front aerial to back handspring series and gainer full dismount, performed with unwavering accuracy, for her first career 10.

These scores carried UCLA’s beam (49.750, tying a school record) and floor (49.725) totals, solidifying their superiority. UCLA’s victory occurred in their inaugural year since leaving the Pac-12, where they’d taken seven NCAA championships, to move to the Big Ten, a league that contains but a single NCAA champion (Michigan, 2021). Led by coach Janelle McDonald, Big Ten Coach of the Year, the Bruins were unscathed through league competition with a 197.200 triumph in the final regular-season Big Four meet on March 2. The championship total came on top of an eighth such score from the season after UCLA’s last highest was set on Feb. 6 at Washington, 197.950.

The three total perfect 10s joined the Bruins’ long history of such accomplishments, atop alum Jamie Dantzscher’s 28 and Chiles’ set standard. This victory marks a seamless transition for UCLA Gymnastics from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, where they remain a powerhouse despite the league’s limited championship history. Under the leadership of Big Ten Coach of the Year Janelle McDonald, the Bruins went undefeated in conference play, reinforcing their elite status.