Moments before the UCLA gymnastic team’s season officially began Friday night, a black curtain rose in Pauley Pavilion, revealing the 2018 national championship banner.
Seniors from that season counted down the unveiling, among them Christine Peng-Peng Lee, whose perfect 10s on the uneven bars and beam secured the championship for UCLA.
But once the spotlight went off the white banner, the rest of the celebration was for the future of this season, as No. 1 UCLA defeated No. 11 Nebraska 197.250-195.700.
“It was pretty comforting …” senior Katelyn Ohashi said of the team’s strong showing. “I know that we have so much more improvement left, so that’s really cool.