Allison Freeman

UCLA senior Jordan Chiles has been named the winner of the 2026 AAI Award, an honor bestowed annually to the most outstanding senior gymnast in the nation. Selected from a field of 45 nominees and narrowed to seven finalists, the award recognizes excellence in gymnastics, leadership, and academics. Normally narrowed to a field of six, Chiles was chosen from a field of seven due to a tie in voting.

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.

For the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the mission is just starting after upsetting in the Corvallis regional final. The team went 197.625, just behind the regional champs. But perhaps we’re burying the lede, because it wasn’t Utah who walked away the regional champs, but the UCLA Bruins. The Utah Utes, who would’ve punched their 50th consecutive ticket to nationals this year, found themselves very uncharacteristically in third place after the final rotation, with a 197.500. The difference?