There was a lot of hype surrounding Jordan Chiles‘ return to college gymnastics. There was also a lot of pressure on the gymnast, who was returning to represent her alma mater with an Olympic gold medal to her name. And the World Champions Center gymnast lived up to the hype, getting near-perfect scores on not one but multiple apparatuses. But unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to get UCLA off on the right foot.

The University of California, Los Angeles, failed to get the result they wanted after scoring 195.250 at the American Gold Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Classic. They landed behind California (196.275) and Oregon State (195.775), losing their NCAA season opener. However, that didn’t take away from Chiles’ stellar performance. “Jo with the Vault title in her first meet back with @uclagymnastics!” USA Gymnastics posted on X.

The BIG10 Gymnastics page on X had similar praise for Chiles’ vault. “Jordan Chiles is making a statement in her return to @uclagymnastics as she scores 9.900 on vault,” they wrote in the caption. Chiles’s vault attempt looked nearly flawless as she stuck the landing. This wasn’t the only apparatus where Chiles scored 9.900.

“Jordan Chiles is so fun to watch,” BIG10 Gymnastics once again posted as they shared Chiles’s perfect uneven bars routine. However, none of the Bruins, including Chiles could keep up with the competition on every routine. Meanwhile, Brooklyn Moors stole the spotlight during the floor exercise, overtaking Chiles’ 9.775 to earn her own 9.900.

However, despite these standout performances and Chile contributing to two of the Bruins’ 9.900 scores, not everything went UCLA’s way at the American Gold Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Classic’s meet. Two early mistakes were enough for Oregon State to edge past UCLA for a second-place finish in the season opener. The Bruins’ coach gave a statement after his team’s rough start.

Jordan Chiles’ college gymnastics coach chose to look at the brighter side

While the Olympian and her teammates didn’t get the start they’d hoped for, it’s far too early in the season to start drawing conclusions. So UCLA gymnastics coach Janelle McDonald didn’t just focus on the negatives and treated their performance as a learning experience. “Those are definitely moments we will learn from and take with us,” McDonald told the media.

The head coach also spoke to the girls to ensure none of them took the loss too hard and focused on making progress. “I told the team we’re going to turn the page and build from what we did today,” added Jordan Chiles college gymnastics coach. However, the West Region Coach of the Year, 2023, also thought that UCLA girls simply need to develop a little more synergy.

The coach thought that two early falls that cost UCLA points also shook the roster’s confidence. “I think a lot of the mistakes we made today were uncharacteristic,” added McDonald. Thankfully, inspired performances from the likes of Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors returned some momentum during the second rotation. So now it’s a matter of improving the consistency of the entire squad. “I’m excited to dial things in and show a stronger performance next weekend,” said Janelle McDonald. UCLA will face Arkansas on January 11. So whatever adjustments they need to make, they must make them quickly.