The UCLA Bruins have positively kick-started their NCAA season. The Bruins aim to clinch the NCAA title and strengthen their team with the inclusion of Olympian Jordan Chiles. And much to the joy of the fans, Chiles and her team have so far treated the audience to a splendid show. Back on Saturday, UCLA recorded their highest team total this year.

With a score of 197.550, Chiles and Co. easily shrugged off the challenge from Maryland (194.850). Next up, the Bruins came home to take on Illinois on January 25. And while the Bruins did keep their winning streak rolling, there has been one more superstar helping the team achieve great heights. Chae Campbell had been one of the biggest draws of the UCLA Bruins over the years.

With a commendable resume, Campbell has helped the Bruins steer clear on multiple occasions. Campbell has an incredible record of three perfect 10s on the floor in her career. Adding to that, Campbell also has seven 9.950 scores on the vault. Being an 8x All-American, Campbell holds the rare record of winning all four weekly awards in Pac-12 history. And Campbell has continued her merry run this year too. 

Competing against Illinois, UCLA had yet another comfortable victory with a score of 197.200. This was significantly better than what Illinois managed, as they bowed out with 194.750. Chae Campbell, expectedly, was the star of the show again. Competing on all four apparatus, Campbell had an all-around total of 39.400, with a season-high score of 9.925 on vault. And while things are looking quite upbeat, there is a somber update awaiting the UCLA fans. As per Campbell, her days as a Bruins are numbered. 

Speaking about her retirement, Chae Campbell got candid with the LA Times on January 25, 2025. She said, “This is my last year so it’s all about getting big… I want to be able to soak up any moment I have since this is the last time I’m going to be able to do a routine. It’s not just staying present; [it’s] not taking anything for granted and being grateful for any opportunity I have to compete.” 

Campbell also shone on the beam. Kicking things off with a 9.850 score, the 5’7” athlete received immense praise from her coaches. Sharing her secret to success this year, Campbell mentioned how working with Lacy Dagen has been a blessing for the team. She stated that it was for Dagen that she did not feel the nerves this time around.

Naturally, an arena full of crowds should applaud such shining performances. Unfortunately, the crowd turnout initially looked quite unsatisfactory. But an earnest plea from Jordan Chiles made the UCLA Bruins get the energy back from the crowd right away. 

The crowd honors Jordan Chiles’ plea as they turn up for UCLA’s home game

Stars like Chae Campbell and Jordan Chiles are heating things up, creating the perfect atmosphere for an arena buzzing with excited audiences. The audience failed to show up as expected. Take Saturday’s game for example. Despite UCLA recording a thumping victory, only 7287 fans were cheering at the XFINITY Center. And if you thought this was a big number, well, the total capacity of the arena was 18000!

Disappointed at the response, Jordan Chiles took to her Instagram and came up with an earnest request. She wrote, “Hello everyone, this is a PSA—please come and attend our home meet this Saturday the 25th at Pauley at 2 pm. @uclagymnastics would love all the support and want to give you guys an amazing show!! So come!!!” Surely enough, Chiles’ prayers were answered promptly as she saw a large number of people flock to the Pauley Pavilion. 

Not only that, stars such as Dwyane Wade, Gabrielle Union, and Taraji P. Henson also showed up. Overwhelmed by the support, Jordan Chiles’ mother, Gina Chiles, expressed her gratitude as she wrote on X, “So awesome to see the support! Thank y’all for coming!!” Thus, with the crowd supporting the UCLA Bruins and athletes like Chae Campbell giving their best efforts, it now remains to be seen whether UCLA can forge their path towards an epic championship run.