College Search
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
College Search
In a showcase that felt more like a postseason preview than a January meet, the UCLA women’s gymnastics program delivered a statement win on January 25, 2026. Led by a dominant all-around from two-time U.S. Olympian Jordan Chiles, No. 5 UCLA posted a season-high 197.425 to defeat No. 21 Michigan State 197.425–196.900 in East Lansing.
The Big Ten dual, held at the Breslin Center and televised nationally on FOX, brought together the conference’s last two champions and drew a program-record crowd of 9,887 fans for Michigan State. In front of that stage, Chiles produced one of the top performances of her college career, winning every event and the all-around with a 39.875 that currently stands as the highest all-around score in NCAA gymnastics for the 2026 season.
This was not an ordinary January meet. It was a nationally televised Big Ten clash between the league’s most recent standard-setters: UCLA, which swept both the Big Ten regular-season and conference titles in 2025, and Michigan State, which did the same in 2024. The matchup was just the second gymnastics meet ever held inside the Breslin Center, typically home to Spartan basketball, underscoring the event’s special status on campus.
With 9,887 fans packing the arena and FOX cameras capturing every rotation, the dual doubled as a measuring stick for both programs and an advertisement for Big Ten women’s gymnastics. For UCLA, in its second season in the conference, it was another opportunity to prove that last year’s championship run was no fluke. For Michigan State, it was a chance to show that its 2024 surge remains very real despite a slower start in the win-loss column this year.
The stage delivered. Both teams posted season highs, and the meet’s competitive tone made clear that the Big Ten title race in 2026 will again run through programs like UCLA and Michigan State.
Chiles’ performance was the headline of the day. The UCLA senior and Olympic medalist turned in event scores of 9.975 on vault, 9.950 on bars, 9.950 on beam, and a perfect 10.000 on floor, totaling 39.875 in the all-around. That total is the highest recorded in NCAA gymnastics so far in the 2026 season, according to national tracking from USA Gymnastics’ collegiate coverage at USAGym.org.
The perfect 10 on floor was her second in as many weeks and the seventh perfect 10 of her career on that event. It also marked the 13th perfect 10 overall of her college career across all apparatus, a milestone that places her among the elite scorers in recent NCAA history. Just eight days earlier, Chiles logged the first perfect 10 of the entire 2026 NCAA season with a vault in UCLA’s Big Ten home opener against Nebraska, a moment also reflected in USA Gymnastics’ 2026 perfect 10s database.
In East Lansing, she came within a quarter-tenth of a 40.000, a number that has only rarely been approached at the college level. For athletes, parents, and coaches watching, the meet was a live demonstration of what it looks like when elite international talent fully adjusts to NCAA lineups and pacing in a senior season.
The meet opened with UCLA on the uneven bars and Michigan State on vault. The Bruins edged out to a narrow lead immediately, posting a 49.350 on bars to the Spartans’ season-high 49.300 on vault.
For UCLA on bars:
That 49.350 put UCLA slightly in front, but Michigan State signaled early that it would not be an easy night, matching the Bruins’ eventual vault total with a 49.300 of its own in the opening rotation.
In the second rotation, UCLA moved to vault and delivered a season-best 49.300, matching Michigan State’s earlier mark and widening its overall lead. Chiles nearly duplicated her perfect 10 from a week earlier with a 9.975 on a powerful double-twisting Yurchenko that drew attention from national commentators.
The rest of the vault lineup provided quality depth:
At the midpoint, UCLA led 98.650–98.275. It was a strong cushion but not a runaway, especially with beam and floor still to come under the bright lights and in front of a hostile, record-setting crowd.
The third rotation on balance beam highlighted UCLA’s depth and adaptability. Illness within the squad forced lineup adjustments, but the Bruins still cleared 49 once again.
Chiles and Alipio shared the event title with matching 9.950s, leading the way in a pressure-packed rotation. Behind them, Eichman made her collegiate debut on beam and scored a 9.825, a key counting routine in the team total. Sullivan, appearing on beam for the first time this season, added a 9.775 to give UCLA another solid number.
With Alipio also making her bars debut earlier in the meet and Barros expanding her contributions, the rotation underscored how the coaching staff at University of California, Los Angeles has cultivated versatility and readiness throughout the roster. Even short-handed, the Bruins held their lead heading into the final event.
UCLA closed on floor exercise, the event that has often been its calling card in recent seasons. The Bruins posted their strongest event total of the day with a 49.450, again setting a season high.
Sydney Barros opened with a powerful 9.900, immediately establishing a high baseline. Ciena Alipio followed with a 9.850, and the middle of the lineup stayed steady in the mid-to-high 9.8 range, keeping the pressure firmly on Michigan State.
Anchoring the rotation, Chiles delivered a flawless routine that scored 10.000 from the judges. The perfect-10 set not only clinched the team win but also provided a signature highlight for the FOX broadcast and for the thousands of fans in the arena and watching at home.
Michigan State put together its own season-best 49.150 on floor, led by strong work from senior leader Sage Kellerman and others. But UCLA’s cumulative consistency across all four events, anchored by Chiles’ 39.875, proved too much.
Although the Spartans came up short on the scoreboard, the meet represented a major step forward for Michigan State’s 2026 campaign.
From a performance standpoint, the Spartans:
The 196.900 final score is their highest of the young season and a number that keeps them firmly in the conversation nationally as scores begin to solidify ahead of postseason seeding.
Equally important was the environment. The crowd of 9,887 in the Breslin Center shattered Michigan State’s previous attendance record of just over 6,000, set the year prior. For recruits and their families, that type of support signals a program and campus community that is increasingly invested in women’s gymnastics.
The dual also featured significant international star power. Michigan State’s Lilia Cosman, a 2024 Olympian for Romania, shared the stage with UCLA’s Chiles and 2024 U.S. Olympic alternate Tiana Sumanasekera. Having multiple Olympians in a regular-season dual is still rare in NCAA gymnastics and speaks to how Big Ten gymnastics has evolved into a landing spot for world-class talent.
In the broader Big Ten picture, UCLA’s win was another data point confirming that the Bruins are early championship favorites in their second season in the league. With the victory, UCLA improved to 6–2 overall and 2–0 in Big Ten competition, and they raised their season-high team score for the third straight week.
That progression matters. In NCAA gymnastics, rankings are driven by a rolling combination of averages and top scores, so consistently elevating the team total is a strong sign that the lineup is stabilizing and peaking at the right time. It also signals to the selection committee that UCLA is a legitimate contender for high seeding at both regionals and, potentially, the NCAA championships.
For Michigan State, now 1–4 overall and 0–2 in the Big Ten, the record does not tell the whole story. Their scoring trend is moving in the right direction, and posting a season-high 196.900 against a top-five opponent bodes well for their ability to climb the rankings as the year progresses. In a conference where multiple teams regularly contend for top-16 national spots, putting up competitive totals early in the season is critical.
UCLA now heads back to Pauley Pavilion to host Washington on January 30 in its annual Pride Meet, another high-energy home date that typically showcases one of the best atmospheres in college gymnastics. With momentum from East Lansing and Chiles performing at an all-time NCAA level, the Bruins will look to further extend their Big Ten winning streak and push their season-high even higher.
Michigan State, meanwhile, will carry its record-setting crowd experience and season-best team score into a critical rivalry road meet against Michigan on February 1. That dual will offer another chance to translate promising scoring trends into results and keep building the type of résumé that matters when conference and NCAA berths are on the line.
For prospective student-athletes and their families, this meet delivered several key lessons about elite college gymnastics environments:
If you are an aspiring collegiate gymnast, it is important to understand which programs match your level, goals, and academic interests. Tools like the Pathley Gymnastics Hub can help you explore NCAA, NAIA, and other collegiate options, compare programs, and find camps and clinics that align with your events, skill level, and graduation year.
Watching a team like UCLA compete in a national spotlight meet often raises a big question for younger athletes: where do I fit in the college landscape? The gap between a top-five program and a developing roster can be wide, but there are opportunities at many levels and in many conferences.
Pathley is building tools to make that landscape easier to understand and navigate. By creating a free profile and sharing your academic information, skills, and goals, you can get AI-powered recommendations tailored to your situation. You can start directly with your athletic interests, then layer in academic and financial priorities to find realistic matches.
Whether you dream of competing for a national title at a power like UCLA or you are targeting a smaller campus where you can contribute early, having data and guidance behind your decisions is crucial.
If the energy and academic profile of UCLA appeal to you, it can be smart to get familiar with other colleges in the same region, even if they do not all sponsor NCAA gymnastics. Understanding the broader campus and academic ecosystem in a city can help you think more holistically about your options.
Exploring schools like these alongside flagship research universities such as the University of California, Los Angeles can help you compare different types of college experiences and find the best overall fit.
The Bruins’ 197.425–196.900 win at Michigan State was more than just another notch in the standings. It was a season-defining early checkpoint that showcased UCLA’s depth, affirmed Chiles’ status as one of the sport’s premier all-arounders, and highlighted Michigan State’s rising stature as both a competitor and a host.
As the 2026 NCAA gymnastics season unfolds, results like this will shape rankings, seeding, and storylines heading into conference championships and nationals. For recruits watching from club gyms and living rooms around the country, they also provide a window into what high-level college gymnastics really looks and feels like: pressure, precision, and performance on a big stage, supported by thousands of fans and a national broadcast.
If that is the stage you hope to be on one day, investing time now in understanding programs, building your profile, and finding the right fit is essential. Pathley’s tools are designed to make that journey less confusing and more focused, whether your path leads to a powerhouse like UCLA or a different campus that turns out to be the perfect match.
