This Friday, while it would be love galore in America, UCLA gymnastics fans will be glued to the televisions till late at night! That’s because the No #5 team UCLA gets ready to face off against the Nittany Lions in the regular season after 2002, which gives them a fair chance to soar on the ranking chart. And the way Jordan Chiles & Co. has been performing of late, it’s rather achievable. But it’s not the anticipation of that which has fans all excited. They’re looking at the team’s brilliance this season with great hope and no one wants to jinx it!

6 days back, on February 7th, the Bruins proved every bit that they are in form this season. Back then, they were at No. #6 in NCAA women’s artistic gymnastics when a brilliant team effort won them 197.950 in scores and pushed them up by a rung on the ladder. This was a season-high total for the Bruins and needless to say, Washington could not match up. How could they? The Bruins hit 24-for-24 routines and scored 9.9+ in 14 of them, which is simply commendable.

That’s when the Big 10 network added an Instagram post, a recap of the best UCLA routines from the evening! And of course, first on that list was Frida Esparza’s 9.950 on the uneven bars. She’s been bringing in a lot of those lately, as this was once again a career-high for her, tied for the third time this season. Next up was Chae Campbell’s winning vault at 9.925, which leapfrogged her to the all-around title that night. These were followed by the ace floor exercise duo for the evening, Brooklyn Mayors and Jordan Chiles, both of whom tied for first on floor exercise with 9.950s.

Interestingly, the beam event for the night also featured two UCLA gymnasts tied for the first spot. These were Ciena Alipio and Emma Malabuyo, both of whom scored 9.950. Also, all six Bruins scored higher than 9.900 on the beam, recording the sixth-best beam in program history! Historic right? Thus, while this particular meet brought UCLA to No # 5, the gymnastics fans could not help but notice the turnaround made by the Bruins this season. From a slow start to a nationwide fifth spot, they have really come into their own.

Also, it’s notable that this progression is the best they have been in the past few years altogether. Naturally, this was a long time coming and the Bruins fans as ecstatic. But what’s the reason behind this dynamic shift? Jordan Chiles perfect 10 duo this season? Or the visionary leadership? And how can we forget the well-balanced roster? Maybe it’s a mix of it all. But here’s what the gymnastics fans have to say.

Fans speculate the reason behind Jordan Chiles & Co’s NCAA success

A Reddit thread by r/gymnastics discussed UCLA’s rise in the 2025 NCAA seasons and an army of fans came flooding in to celebrate. One of them couldn’t hold back their excitement, as the long-awaited moment was finally here. “I’m thrilled. The past 5 or so years have been a strugglebus for us fans 🤣 but this team has some real fight and grit and it’s super exciting.” Yes, the Bruins wrapped up the 2024 regular season, standing at number 9 and 17th overall. They have also failed to make a mark in the past five years. Thus, this turnaround is everything that the gymnastics fans were waiting for.

Another one chimed in with a prediction. They wrote, “They’re going to do well with NQS soon. They have good road scores and can drop their bad opening score. Some other top teams like LSU still need to get better road scores.” Yes, UCLA gymnastics may have had a sluggish start to the season, losing to California and Oregon State at the American Gold Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Classic. Yes, they dipped to the third lowest they have ever seen in UCLA Gymnastics’ Openings in over 15 seasons. But they had a wave of consecutive wins afterward, starting at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad was fantastic!

And of course, a part of the credit goes to Jordan Chiles who knows how to get things started. She won the first perfect 10 for the team and set the momentum going. Now, the way the team has been carrying it forward gives great hope to the fans. No wonder one of them dug up the statistics to find out, “Someone posted a stat that if UCLA scores something like a 197.7 this weekend (don’t remember exact score) they lock up the #2 ranking. I would not have expected that coming into the season.” Yes, that might be quite a possibility, looking at the way the Bruins are progressing. Leaving the first single meet aside, they’ve scored 197.2+ ever since. And Jordan Chiles has racked up 2 perfect 10s for the side so far!

Not just Jordan Chiles & Co., another fan credited the mentors and coaches that occupy the staffing benches this year. “Mark Freeman and Lacy Dagen have been godsends. I really think they can make four on the floor this year, hopefully at the expense of Florida and Selena,” they said. Yes, a lot of the faces have changed for UCLA gymnastics in the past few years. From 2020 to 2022, they had Chris Waller, Coach Comforte, and BJ Das on the team. 2023 and 2024 noted a shift to Janelle McDonald, Kyle, and Autumn Grable, and now it continues to be McDonald, Das, along with Lacy Dagen, and Mark Freeman both of whom are new on UCLA’s coaching side. Guess after a lot of shakeups, this combination has worked the best for the side.

Also, the same thing can be noted in terms of the talent on the team. Another fan noted, “I feel like UCLA also has a stronger roster this year than last. So credit Janelle (and good health) for some of the success as well.” Not just the coaching staff, but UCLA’s roster also succumbed to a revamp this year. Firstly, they had the junior Jordan Chiles returning after a successful stint at the Paris Olympics. Next, we have Janelle’s McDonald’s trump card Selena Harris who joined the side. Also, the Bruins were able to add depth to their bars lineup in 2025, courtesy of Sydney Barros’ return.

So clearly, UCLA gymnastics has been moving up and onwards. This Friday, the USA waits to see if they can make it in the top 2. What do you think? Let us know below!