NCAA Gymnastics News: Despite Loss Against Utah, Selena Harris Guides UCLA to New Milestone

Published 02/21/2024, 8:57 AM EST

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Soaring high in the air and landing on the blue mat, the UCLA sophomore’s vault was nothing short of spectacular. “It’s about time,” Selena Harris expressed her celebration after showcasing her resilience on the gymnastics field. Despite delivering an impressive and flawless performance, her composed nature caught the attention of her fans.

However, her vault wasn’t enough to secure a post at UCLA’s dual meet against Pac-12 rival Utah. But their disappointment didn’t lead to Harris’ performance going unnoticed. The Pac-12 freshman of the year maintained her consistency on occasion, even under pressure. Last season, with a percent 10 on the vaults, she secured UCLA’s tickets to the NCAA championship.

Selena Harris’s leadership got the team in the limelight

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Recently, a video was posted on the Twitter page of UCLA Gymnastics where fans could see how she has performed. The post was captioned, No. on @SportsCenter’s Top 10 Monday night! @selena_harriss #GoBruins | #SCTop10″

Her back-to-back vault on the mat came off with a perfect 10 under her name. Her performance even captured the attention of the commentator, as he said, “Okay so I’m not a great judge, but it got me away, like, that’s a ten.” But to his surprise, he was right because it was a 10. The happiness could be seen all over the team’s face, along with the coach himself.

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The score on the board was speaking in colors as they secured 0.425 points after the two events, which led to the final score of 197.300–196.975 at the Pauley Pavillion. A few other members of the team have also performed greatly, including, Maile O’Keefe, who delivered stellar performances with a score of 9.975. And with that, some commendable performances have been laid off by Nya Reed, Emily Lee, and Ciena Alipio, but unfortunately, they fell short, with Utah leading their way into the final event.

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The ground-hearted NCAA star gymnast

Reed highlighted Harris’s attempt by saying, “Vault was definitely not a strong suit last year, and to be able to come in and raise that bar to be very high is amazing.” With such great education from Harris, the Bruins are anticipating a more flawless performance in the upcoming event. However, the absence of NCAA champion Jordan Chiles and her junior Emma Malabuyo acted as a plus point to increase efficiency in the competition.

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“I can see everyone’s engaged, like OK, we do have this, because you got it,” Harris expressed while talking about the support she got from her teammates, and her coach. After everything, she shared, “I have my feet grounded, I feel more comfortable, I like having my team with me on my side.” This proves her love for the sport and her fellow members. Fans are now anticipating witnessing more incredible performances from the team, especially from Harris.

Watch this story: LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne’s Latest Vacation Pics Are Blowing the Minds of Her Fans

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Written by:

Shayni Maitra

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Shayni Maitra is an Olympics Sports writer at EssentiallySports. She actively covers the NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball and writes her insights about the combating world of Wrestling. Bringing detailed narratives of collegiate athletics to spotlight, Shayni bridges the gap between her readers, and their favorite NCAA athletes.
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Edited by:

Suman Varandani