WESTWOOD — The hands of every UCLA gymnast and everyone in the Bruin Den student section flashed all 10 fingers after a floor routine from Chae Campbell.
Seconds later, the 10 fingers became a perfect 10.0 score and all that was visible on the floor was Campbell’s ponytail as she was engulfed by her teammates and coaches.
“It was truly something special,” Campbell said. “Right before my floor routine I went to the locker room I took a moment to myself and I said ‘why not get a 10 today?’ And it happened.”
It’s the sophomore’s first 10.0 of her career as a Bruin, but the second of the season in the event for UCLA after Jordan Chiles did it against Utah on Feb. 4. It’s also the third 10.0 this season overall; Chiles recorded one in uneven bars on Feb. 12 against Stanford.
Campbell scored a career-high 39.575 for the all-around crown in UCLA’s 197.125-194.300 win over Washington on Sunday. Chiles and Emma Malabuyo, both freshmen, tied for second in all-around (39.375).
“We’re very strong,” Malabuyo said of the underclassmen. “We’re learning so much from each other and also us freshmen looking at the sophomores, it’s a really good example of how they train. They’re very hard workers and it rubs off on us.”
UCLA (3-6 overall, 2-4 Pac-12) led Washington after two events in which they dominated: vault and uneven bars.
Campbell won vault with a 9.925, followed by Jordan Chiles, who scored 9.900 to tie for second place.
In uneven bars, the Bruins’ Malabuyo and Norah Flatley tied for first with a 9.875 for each. Ana Padurariu tied for third with a 9.80. Washington (4-7, 2-5) struggled in uneven bars with falls in two separate routines.
Malabuyo earned a 9.90 to tie for first in balance beam. Chiles came in second in floor with a 9.95, Pauline Tratz came in third at .925 and Brooklyn Moors, another freshman, hit a career-high 9.900 for fourth place. Campbell’s first-place 10.0 floor performance was the last routine of the day, aside from Samantha Sakti’s exhibition.
Campbell was strong in floor exercise her freshman season, with a previous high of 9.950, but she has taken her routines to a new level this season. She credits attention to technique and increased cardio.
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“This year my dance is a little bit more complicated, so working on some more cardio to keep up with that,” Campbell said. “It really just like, comes down to doing floor routines. Dancing full-out or doing extra leg work.
“And who knows, I might want to do (dance) after gymnastics.”
As the 10’s keep rolling in for UCLA, the next two meets will be at Pauley Pavilion —hosting Cal on March 6 and then UC Davis on March 12 — before competing in the Pac-12 championships in West Valley City, Utah on March 19.
“Today was a phenomenal day,” UCLA coach Chris Waller said. “They were aggressive. They kept their energy. We had the best warm-ups of the year. I think the next step is bringing that next level of confidence with that intensity and energy and determination throughout the competition.”
More madness at Pauley Pavilion as Chae Campbell scores a perfect 10.0 on floor. It’s UCLA’s second perfect score of the season in the event and the first of Campbell’s career. pic.twitter.com/8Gh1RF2uCg
— Haley Sawyer (@haleymsawyer) February 27, 2022