Two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles pays tribute to Prince, addresses ICE in meet vs. Gophers

Fans raised their phones and angled their bodies toward the mat as Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” hit the speakers Saturday, Feb. 7, at Maturi Pavilion.

There were chants of “Let’s go, Jordan” from the program-record announced crowd of 5,081, though they weren’t for Gophers gymnast Jordyn Lyden, who was performing on the beam.

They were for two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles, a senior at UCLA, during her floor routine.

“I know she [Chiles] brings in a lot of fans, and I think it’s really cool that we got to host her here and have so many people come and see what Minnesota gymnastics is like,” Lyden said.

The conclusion of Chiles’ routine was met with standing ovations from multiple Minnesota fans. One even threw their hands in the air with all 10 fingers to suggest her performance deserved a perfect score.

And for the third consecutive meet, Chiles received a 10 on the floor, helping No. 5 UCLA narrowly defeat the No. 17 Gophers 197.550-197.275 on a day that gymnastics fans likely won’t forget anytime soon.

“I feel like with everything that’s going on right now in Minnesota, Prince was a huge light,” Chiles said. “He was somebody that people really could understand. He was art, he was music.”

“To know that it was sold out and that not only were they [the fans] here for Minnesota, but they were also here for us, it just means everything,” Chiles said.

Chiles, 24, said her inspiration for her floor routine came from her Instagram followers requesting the song. She wanted to provide hope given the recent ICE activity in Minnesota. She grabbed a microphone as fans left the stands to say, “I stand with you guys.”

“I was like, ‘OK, this is what I’m gonna do, and I’m gonna make sure I put this show on and allow you guys to feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel,’” Chiles said.

Chiles’ presence was the result of the Big Ten’s latest round of realignment. Saturday was the first dual-style meet between UCLA and Minnesota.

The Bruins joined the conference in 2024 in a shift that also included the additions of USC, Washington and Oregon, though only UCLA and Washington field NCAA gymnastics programs.

“Being a part of the Big Ten, it does give us [UCLA] new opportunities,” Chiles said. “We get to shine either way.”

They shined Saturday.

Sumanasekera hit a career-high 9.900 on vault and scored 39.375 in the all-around as part of the Bruins’ victory. Chiles earned a 9.875 on the vault, a 9.900 on the uneven bars and a 9.850 on the balance beam for a meet-leading all-around score of 39.625.

Chiles and Sumanasekera helped UCLA improve to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten despite a stiff challenge from the home team. The Gophers (4-3, 2-2) lost despite posting their best overall score of the season and the 10th-best vault score in program history.

“I think especially in the Big Ten, we want to see each other do really well and our fans love great gymnastics, and they certainly got to see that tonight,” Gophers coach Jenny Hansen said.