When fans of elite gymnastics hear the name Nola Matthews, her iconic floor routines are likely the first thing to come to mind. Known for her attention to artistry, intense facial expressions, and choreography with a dark, haunting touch, Matthews made a name for herself during her five years on the US National Team. Now, in her freshman season at UCLA, she’s bringing her unique style to NCAA gymnastics.
Choreographing a floor routine with UCLA assistant head coach BJ Das has been a dream of Matthews’ since she was a recruit.
“On my visit, I was seeing these floor routines, and I was just starstruck,” she said. “I was so in awe of those girls and the way they were able to perform; it was crazy. So I’ve been thinking about it for years. Finally getting here and getting to experience a BJ Das floor routine is truly surreal.”
She cites former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer and current junior Katelyn Rosen as sources of inspiration for her performance and style. The Bruins are known for their focus on artistry and dance, and Das’ choreography has helped turned routines from Margzetta Frazier and Chae Campbell, among others, into viral sensations. With Matthews’ passion for performance, UCLA couldn’t have been a better fit. Her name is right at home in the star-studded floor lineup.
Matthews made a splash in her collegiate debut at the Best of the West quad in Seattle, where she contributed three routines to UCLA’s winning performance, including floor. However, her prominent role on the team in only her first meet is not something she expected coming into college.
“I always wanted to compete for UCLA in whatever lineups that I could,” she said. “It’s been really cool getting to actually be contributing to the team. It’s scary, but it’s really exciting.”
UCLA head coach Janelle McDonald speaks highly to Matthews’ attitude in the gym and the smooth transition she has made from elite to college.
“Nola is just such a fun athlete,” McDonald said. “She’s got so much artistic quality to her gymnastics. She’s also just a really fun human being to be around. She’s just really transitioned well to college because she loves gymnastics.”
As the Bruins prepare for Saturday’s Collegiate Quad against reigning national champion Oklahoma, along with Utah and LSU, the focus inside the gym remains inward rather than the opponents the team will face.
“It’s exciting to be competing against such talented teams,” Matthews said. “But I feel like ultimately like we’re only going to be focused on what we’re doing as a team and staying in that bubble, staying together as one team.”
Matthews may not be thinking about results, but head coach McDonald knows what her team is capable of, and she encourages them to dream big.
“Being in the finals last year and finishing as the national runners-up showed us what’s possible,” she said. “Every single person on our team, whether they were on the team last year or not, wants to get back there and wants to fight to win that national championship.”
The Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad will take place Saturday, Jan. 9 in West Valley City, Utah, and will be broadcast live on ABC. UCLA will compete in session one at 4 p.m. ET.
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Article by Sophie Poirier
