On Sunday April 5, 2026, UCLA was part of rewriting history, not only for the program but for Utah and Minnesota as well. The Bruins qualified as the top team with Minnesota sticking itself right into second place to send the Golden Gophers from Oregon to Texas alongside them, the first regional title for UCLA since 2019, and its 25th overall.
For Jordan Chiles, in her senior year at UCLA, this regional was something extra special. “Being here for four years, I’ve never won regionals. And every single time, it’s been against Utah,” she said. But this year, not only did the Bruins qualify to nationals as a team, they did so by being the Corvallis regional champions with a 197.725. Chiles closed out the meet for UCLA by scoring her eighth perfect 10.0 of the season on floor.
“We stuck to our bubble, and that’s what worked,” junior Katelyn Rosen answered in response to getting past Utah to ultimately win the title. In other words, the team worked on focusing on the things that were within their control: “The mentality we [have], the effort, the attitude, and staying connected in our own bubble.”
Sticking to that bubble floated those Bruins straight to the top, but it was a team effort all the way. “The only thing I love more than gymnastics are the girls on my team,” Chiles said. Head coach Janelle McDonald cited freshman Jordis Eichman stepping in like a seasoned pro on the third rotation, going third in the lineup with short notice and putting up a 9.800. McDonald had nothing but praise for how Eichman handled the pressure. “She works incredibly hard on all four events…for her to [be] up there and just be so cool, calm, and collected in that moment, knowing how pressure filled [it was], how close the competition was…you can’t ask for more than that from anyone,” she said.
As Chiles reiterated during the press conference, “No matter what happens in the lineup, whether we have to step in for a teammate…we know how to back each other up.” And inside that bubble is where the Bruins plan to stay as they set their sights on their next title.
“I’ve dreamed since the day I got this job of doing the eight-clap for the eighth national championship,” McDonald said. “I believe this team can compete with anybody in the country…we’re going to fight for it, that’s [for] sure.”
If you think the day couldn’t have been any sweeter, the UCLA win followed on the heels of the UCLA women’s basketball team getting its own win. And the Bruins will keep on flipping to Fort Worth with the momentum of Chiles’ eighth perfect 10.0 on floor for their 38th appearance and a chance to eight-clap while taking home their eighth national title.
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Article by Allison Freeman
