Simone Biles applauded UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis after her stunning routine to Black artists like Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, and 2Pac went viral
- UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis went viral for her stunning routine set to Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, 2Pac, and other Black artists.
- The senior's near-perfect floor exercise — which earned a 9.95 from the judges — clinched the Bruins' upset over No. 15 Arizona State.
- Simone Biles reshared the clip of Dennis' routine on Twitter and added "do the damn thing girl this was so fun to watch."
Nia Dennis put "Black Girl Magic" on full display for UCLA gymnastics.
The senior superstar clinched the Bruins' upset of the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday with a stunning floor routine set to a slew of Black artists. Dennis earned a 9.95 - the highest score awarded by the judges in any event on the day - after flipping, dancing, and posing to the likes of Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott, 2Pac, Megan Thee Stallion, and Soulja Boy.
Videos of the impressive performance quickly went viral on social media, with Elliott responding "Snappin" on Twitter and fellow UCLA gymnasts of past and present - including Margzetta Frazier and Katelyn Ohashi - sharing their praise online.
But perhaps the most impressive plaudits Dennis received following her show-stopping routine came from the best gymnast on the planet. Olympic superstar Simone Biles reshared the routine and wrote "okay @DennisNia do the damn thing girl this was so fun to watch!"
"Keep killing it!" Biles added.
It's far from the first time Bruins gymnasts have found themselves with excess attention online. Dennis herself received plaudits from now-Vice President Kamala Harris and musician Alicia Keys following a Beyoncé-inspired routine last year, and Ohashi garnered major props after earning a perfect 10 with her own incredible performance set to The Jackson 5.
But thanks to Dennis' remarkable showing on Saturday, UCLA started out the year on a high note and narrowly edged out the Sun Devils 196.15 to 195.95 in their first competition of the season. They'll have a week to relish the victory before traveling to The Grand Canyon State to face the Arizona Wildcats in their home gym on Sunday.