OSU Gymnastics: Carey sets program record in win over UCLA | Sports

When Jade Carey took to the mat for her floor exercise at the Gill Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, the celebration had already begun.

The 19th-ranked Beavers had effectively earned their first brace against the Bruins since 2013 and held a commanding lead ahead of Carey’s routine. The Oregon State star freshman did nothing to compromise that advantage, posting a 9.975 mark to end the win.

Oregon State had a total team total of 197,000, easily overtaking UCLA (196,300) and UC Davis (194,700). The Beavers’ team total was the highest since the 2019 season.

The Gill Coliseum was packed for the gathering, with a noticeably larger crowd than at the opener last week. Oregon State’s annual Dam Worth It gathering was held on Sunday to mark the opening of the Pac-12 conference schedule.

“The fans at Gill are incredible and it was just so much fun showing our gymnastics to a large audience,” said Carey.

Carey drove to the all-around title after finishing best in all four rotations. She won the vault with a 9.900, the uneven bars with a 9.950 and the beam with a 9.975.

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Carey’s total score of 39,800 is the highest total score in the program’s history, beating Chari Knight’s 1993 mark of 39,750. Carey’s score of 39,650 on her Oregon State debut last week is now the fourth-best grade in the school.

Carey’s all-around result on Sunday is also the highest college grade by a gymnast in the country so far this season.

On parallel bars, Carey picked up a narrow win over her UCLA Olympic teammate Jordan Chiles, who posted a 9.925. Chiles competed in two events on Sunday and posted a 9.875 on the vault to share second place with Oregon State’s Kaitlyn Yanish and UC Davis’ Keanna Abraham.

While the former Olympic teammates were on opposite sides on Sunday, they continued to cheer on each other’s success. Chiles stood on the edge of the mat and cheered for Carey during their final.

“She did such a great job. She’s been shining out there since the day I first met her and today she did,” Chiles said. “So I had to go out and support her in that way, like I did in Tokyo, because she’s a boss.”

The meeting was a homecoming for Chiles, who was born in Tualatin and grew up in Vancouver, Washington.

For the second year in a row Jenna Domingo of Oregon State put on a strong performance on the beam to take second place with a score of 9.925. Domingo opened the season last weekend by sharing first place with Carey on the beam when both posted a 9,900. Both teammates improved their points on Sunday.

Yanish of Oregon State also shared second place in the floor exercise with a score of 9,900, tied by teammate Lauren Letzsch, the freshman.

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UC Davis’ Kyla Kessler was second in the all-around with a score of 39.225 and UCLA’s Emma Malabuyo was third with 39.100.

As a team, Oregon State posted 49.175 on vault, 49.000 on beam, 49.375 on beam, and 49.450 on floor. The only rotation in which UCLA scored higher was on parallel bars, with the Bruins posting a grade of 49.175.

“I’m really proud of everyone today,” said Oregon State coach Tanya Chaplin. “Although we made a few mistakes here and there, they kept fighting. We know we need to improve some things, so we will go back to the gym and keep working.”

Oregon State will travel to compete in a doubles meet in California on Saturday. The Beavers’ next home game is Saturday, February 5 against Arizona State.

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