Saturday, January 25
2:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
vs
Illinois
Emma Malabuyo
Photo by: Don Liebig, UCLA Photography
UCLA Gymnastics Hosts Illinois in Home Opener Saturday
January 24, 2025 | Gymnastics
No. 8 UCLA vs. Illinois
Date: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 – 2 pm PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Broadcast: B1G+
Talent: Evan Heiter, Margzetta Frazier
Live Stats: virti.us
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets; UCLA students free w/ valid Bruin Card
UCLA HOSTS ILLINOIS SATURDAY IN B1G OPENER
No. 8 UCLA (4-2 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) will host its first home meet and first conference home meet of the season, welcoming Illinois (3-1, 1-0) to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. PT.
UCLA DONATES 1,000 TICKETS TO WILDFIRE VICTIMS, FIRST RESPONDERS
Tickets to Saturday's meet will be donated to individuals impacted by the Southern California wildfires, as well as first responders. Individuals can claim up to eight general admission tickets at the Pauley Pavilion box office on meet day. Up to 1,000 total tickets will be covered by UCLA Health, UCLA Gymnastics' season sponsor. The box office opens at 12:30 p.m., and doors open at 1 p.m.
MEET PROMOS
To celebrate UCLA's first home Big Ten Conference meet, commemorative UCLA Gymnastics Big Ten pennants will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans. Additionally, UCLA Gymnastics schedule magnets and schedule posters will be available to the first 1,500 fans. UCLA's intro video will premiere during pre-meet festivities, and the Bruin team will participate in a post-meet autograph session for 45 minutes on the concourse.
UCLA GOES B1G
UCLA, who won 20 Pac-10/Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships between 1987-2024, enters its first year as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Bruins lead all Big Ten institutions with 124 NCAA Championships, seven coming from women's gymnastics.
HOW TO WATCH
The UCLA-Illinois meet will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (B1G+), the Big Ten Network's subscription streaming platform that offers access to nearly 2,500 events annually. The Bruins will be streamed on B1G+ one more time this season (at Washington, Feb. 7). B1G+ subscriptions can be purchased directly at www.bigtenplus.com. Fans can subscribe to B1G+ with an annual pass ($89.99 per year) or a monthly pass ($12.99). B1G+ subscriptions can also be purchased via in-app purchase in B1G+ apps.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA has seven gymnasts ranked in the Top 25 of the week three national rankings, which are based on average score. Jordan Chiles and Chae Campbell are in the Top 15 in the all-around, at ninth and 15th, respectively. Chiles also ranks fourth on bars, 11th on floor and 25th on vault, while Campbell ranks 24th on floor. Brooklyn Moors again holds UCLA's highest individual ranking, ranking second on floor. Emma Malabuyo leads three Bruins in the Top 20 on beam, ranking third. Emily Lee ranks 12th, and Ciena Alipio ranks 18th. Frida Esparza makes her season debut in the rankings at No. 23 on bars. As a team, UCLA ranks eighth overall, third on beam and floor, 14th on vault and 21st on bars.
ABOUT THE ILLINI
Illinois won its Big Ten opener last weekend, 196.275-195.600, over Nebraska. Freshman Chloe Cho won the all-around with a 39.400 score and was subsequently named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Cho will be returning to her hometown area this weekend. A Simi Valley native, she trained at Gymnastics Olympica and was a 2024 U.S. Championships qualifier. Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 at No. 26 overall but ranks No. 23 on floor and No. 25 on vault. Last season, the Illini finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA recorded a 197.550 team score for the second consecutive week to earn its first-ever Big Ten Conference win at Maryland, 197.550-194.850, in front of a record crowd of 7,287. Jordan Chiles earned the Bruins' first perfect 10 of the season, on uneven bars in the first rotation. She also placed first in her first all-around turn of the year, scoring 39.500. UCLA closed strong in the meet, posting a 49.575 on floor, led by meet-winning 9.95s from Chiles and Brooklyn Moors, and a national-best 49.550 on balance beam, led by Emma Malabuyo's near-perfect 9.975.
CHILES, MOORS CLAIM BIG TEN AWARDS
UCLA gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors were selected Big Ten Conference Co-Gymnast and Co-Event Specialist of the Week, respectively. This was Chiles' second consecutive Gymnast of the Week honor and Moors' first-ever Specialist of the Week award. Both Bruin Olympians played a prominent role in the team win at Maryland. Chiles won the all-around with a score of 39.500, uneven bars with a 10.0 and floor exercise for the second consecutive week, scoring 9.950. Moors earned season-high marks on each event on which she competed, tying with Chiles for first on floor with a career-high-tying 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and finishing fifth on beam with a 9.850. Moors' floor win was her second of the year.
GOLDEN GIRL RETURNS
Olympic gold medalist and two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles made her much-anticipated return to UCLA after a one-year absence to train for and ultimate compete in the Olympics. Chiles, who rejoined the team on Dec. 14 after the fall quarter ended, has jumped right in with the Bruin squad, competing in three events in the first two meets and the all-around last week despite limited training time. She earned her first victory of the season at the American Gold Classic in week one with a first-place score of 9.900 on vault and followed it up with a floor win at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad with a nearly-perfect 9.975. She scored her first perfect 10 of the year and ninth of her career at Maryland on Jan. 18, receiving a 10.0 on uneven bars. Chiles now ranks No. 6 all-time at UCLA with nine career 10s and No. 3 on bars with five 10s. Only Kyla Ross (11) and Jamie Dantzscher (7) have scored more 10s on bars. During Chiles' last NCAA season in 2023, she captured the NCAA uneven bars and floor exercise titles and helped lead UCLA to a fifth-place NCAA finish and Pac-12 regular season co-championship.
GIMME MOORS
2020 Canadian Olympian Brooklyn Moors has competed on three events in all three meets this season, marking the first time she has done so since Feb. 27, 2022. The graduate student has been mostly a floor specialist the last two seasons while dealing with injuries but has come on strong for her final season, adding vault and beam back into her repertoire. Moors won floor exercise at the season opener with a 9.900 and scored 9.825 on just her second beam routine in three years. At the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, she tied her career-high on floor with a 9.950 and added scores of 9.800 on vault and 9.775 on beam. She hit season-highs on all three events at Maryland, tying for first on floor with a 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and placing fifth on beam with a 9.850. She currently ranks second in the nation on floor, UCLA's highest individual ranking.
FOLLOW THE LEE-DER
In her usual No. 1 spot on balance beam, leadoff legend Emily Lee has set the tone for two of the biggest team beam scores in the nation in each of the last two weeks. At the Sprouts Collegiate Quad on Jan. 11, Lee kicked off the Bruins' competition with a 9.900 on beam, paving the way for a run of four additional scores of 9.875 or higher, including a meet-winning 9.925 from Emma Malabuyo. The Bruins' starting score of 49.475 gave the Bruins a lead that was never threatened. A week later, Lee improved on her season-best mark with a lead off 9.925 that was the second-highest beam score of the night, surpassed only by Malabuyo's 9.975. UCLA's team score of 49.550 was the highest in the nation on beam this season and ranks as the ninth-highest beam score in school history. In her career as a leadoff performer on beam, Lee is averaging 9.849 and has scored 9.900 or higher 57% of the time (17 times in 30 meets). A queen of consistency, Lee has hit all 85 of her routines in her career without a fall, with her only sub-9.6 score coming due to a start value deficiency.
BUYO BEAM QUEEN
Senior Emma Malabuyo has solidified her status as one of the best beam workers in the NCAA, ranking No. 3 in the nation with an average of 9.933. She has scored 9.900, 9.925 and 9.975 in her three meets this season and has earned Top 2 finishes each time, placing second in the season opener and first in each of the last two weeks. The 2024 Philippines Olympian and two-time All-American averages 9.860 on beam in her career and has 10 scores of 9.950 or better, including one 10.0 and five 9.975s. She has also been strong on floor exercise, averaging 9.835 over her career, with a high of 9.950.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Three Bruins made their collegiate debuts in the season opener, with sophomore Sydney Barros and freshmen Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin seeing action for the first time. Barros, who had not competed in a year and a half after suffering a torn ACL in the summer of 2023, earned a spot in the lineup on uneven bars and contributed a 9.550. McGowan had a strong first meet, earning Top 10 finishes on all three events on which she competed, scoring 9.850 on vault, 9.800 on bars and 9.775 on floor. Webster-Longin showed all four events, competing on vault and floor and performing exhibition routines on bars and beam. She produced UCLA's second-highest mark on floor with a 9.825 and added a 9.775 on her exhibition bars. McGowan and Webster-Longin have competed multiple events in each meet thus far, with McGowan doing vault, bars and floor in each meet and Webster-Longin competing vault in each meet, bars in two meets and floor once. McGowan produced the first 9.9 by a Bruin freshman this season with her 9.900 on floor at Maryland on Jan. 18.
SUPER SENIORS
The Bruins return the services of two fifth-year seniors in Chae Campbell and Frida Esparza for their extra year of Covid-19 eligibility. Campbell is an eight-time All-American, three-time perfect 10 scorer on floor exercise and the 2021 Pac-12 floor co-champion and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Esparza earned all-conference honors on uneven bars as a freshman and owns career-highs of 9.950 on bars and 9.900 on balance beam. Campbell currently ranks No. 15 in the nation in the all-around with an average of 39.400 and is 24th on floor with a 9.887 average. Esparza won her first event title of the season at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, where she scored 9.925 on bars. She averages 9.875 and has two Top 3 finishes in three meets.
BABY BRUINS
UCLA welcomes a five-member freshman class in 2025, led by three-time Level 10 National champions Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin. McGowan won the all-around, vault and floor at both the 2024 Nationals and Region 1 Championships. Webster-Longin was the 2023 all-around, bars and floor Level 10 national champion. She spent her 2024 competing elite with the Belgian National Team, seeing action at the DtB Pokal Competition in Germany and at the European Championships in Italy. Sasha Fujisaka brings in four years of experience at Level 10 Nationals, as well as a perfect 10 score on uneven bars and four Region 1 titles but will be sitting out this season due to injury. Bronwyn Hoffman is a two-time Level 10 Nationals competitor and 2023 Region 1 all-around medalist. Riley Jenkins is coming off a strong 2024 season, placing second in the all-around at the 2024 Level 10 All-Stars, second on vault and floor at the Region 1 Championships and winning the state all-around, vault and floor titles.
BARROS IS BACK
Sophomore Sydney Barros is back in action for her first year of competition in collegiate gymnastics. The 2023 Puerto Rican all-around national champion and World Championships qualifier missed the 2024 NCAA season after tearing her ACL at the 2023 Central American Games and made her Bruin competitive debut at the American Gold Classic, scoring 9.550 on uneven bars. Barros is a former three-time U.S. National Team member and bronze medalist at the 2019 Junior World Championships.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Bruin roster is filled with gymnasts who have represented their countries in international competition. Emma Malabuyo represented the Philippines at the 2024 Olympics and was the 2024 Asian Championships floor exercise champion and all-around bronze medalist and 2023 Asian Championships floor bronze medalist. Brooklyn Moors competed at the 2020 Olympics for Canada and was an all-around and floor finalist at three World Championships. Frida Esparza competed for Mexico at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. Sydney Barros qualified for the 2023 World Championships for Puerto Rico and was previously a three-time U.S. National Team member. Freshman Mika Webster-Longin competed with Belgium at the 2024 European Championships. Other U.S. National Team competitors were Ciena Alipio, Emily Lee and Katelyn Rosen.
THE GRADUATES
UCLA has four graduate students on the 2025 roster. Chae Campbell and Carissa Clay are enrolled in UCLA's Transformative Coaching and Leadership program in the School of Education. Frida Esparza is pursuing a postgraduate certificate in marketing, and Brooklyn Moors is pursuing a postgraduate certificate in project management.
NEW STAFF
Joining head coach Janelle McDonald and assistant coach BJ Das on the Bruin coaching staff in 2025 are assistant coaches Mark Freeman and Lacy Dagen. Freeman comes to UCLA from Stanford, where he served as an assistant coach of the four-time defending national championship men's team. He coached 2024 Olympic bronze medalists Brody Malone and Asher Hong, as well as 2020 Olympic alternates Akash Modi and Brandon Briones. Dagen was an assistant coach at Arizona State in 2024, helping guide the Sun Devils to the NCAA Regional final and No. 16 national finish. She also coached at her alma mater Oregon State in 2023, as well as at UC Davis in 2022.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
UCLA is led by three Olympians in Jordan Chiles, Emma Malabuyo and Brooklyn Moors, an eight-time All-American in Chae Campbell, and all-conference gymnasts Frida Esparza and Katelyn Rosen. The Bruins, who were affected by Olympic deferrals and absences, finished 17th last season but regain the services of Olympic champion Jordan Chiles, who missed all of 2024 while training for her second Olympic Games, and World Championships qualifier Sydney Barros, who redshirted in 2024 due to injury. UCLA also gains a strong freshman class, led by three-time Level 10 national champions Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Seven returners and 10 Bruins overall earned WCGA Scholastic All-America honors in 2024. Graduate Brooklyn Moors (sociology) and seniors Mia Erdoes (business economics), Emily Lee (physiological science) and Emma Malabuyo (communication) all earned their third-straight honor. Junior Maddie Anyimi (applied mathematics) and senior Chae Campbell (communication) received their second Scholastic All-America distinction, while sophomore Katelyn Rosen (undeclared) earned her first. The WCGA Scholastic All-America team recognizes gymnasts who carry a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average or a 3.5 grade point average for the academic year. Additionally, Malabuyo and Moors earned Academic All-District honors, and graduate Frida Esparza (political science) joined the aforementioned seven in receiving Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll acclaim.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins host No. 4 Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 1 in a meet that will be televised live on FOX. The matchup between the Big Ten newcomers and the defending Big Ten champions will be the first-ever gymnastics meet on the network. The meet is also UCLA's alumni meet. Tickets are on sale now at uclabruins.com/tickets.
Date: Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025 – 2 pm PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Broadcast: B1G+
Talent: Evan Heiter, Margzetta Frazier
Live Stats: virti.us
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets; UCLA students free w/ valid Bruin Card
UCLA HOSTS ILLINOIS SATURDAY IN B1G OPENER
No. 8 UCLA (4-2 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten) will host its first home meet and first conference home meet of the season, welcoming Illinois (3-1, 1-0) to Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 2 p.m. PT.
UCLA DONATES 1,000 TICKETS TO WILDFIRE VICTIMS, FIRST RESPONDERS
Tickets to Saturday's meet will be donated to individuals impacted by the Southern California wildfires, as well as first responders. Individuals can claim up to eight general admission tickets at the Pauley Pavilion box office on meet day. Up to 1,000 total tickets will be covered by UCLA Health, UCLA Gymnastics' season sponsor. The box office opens at 12:30 p.m., and doors open at 1 p.m.
MEET PROMOS
To celebrate UCLA's first home Big Ten Conference meet, commemorative UCLA Gymnastics Big Ten pennants will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans. Additionally, UCLA Gymnastics schedule magnets and schedule posters will be available to the first 1,500 fans. UCLA's intro video will premiere during pre-meet festivities, and the Bruin team will participate in a post-meet autograph session for 45 minutes on the concourse.
UCLA GOES B1G
UCLA, who won 20 Pac-10/Pac-12 Gymnastics Championships between 1987-2024, enters its first year as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Bruins lead all Big Ten institutions with 124 NCAA Championships, seven coming from women's gymnastics.
HOW TO WATCH
The UCLA-Illinois meet will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus (B1G+), the Big Ten Network's subscription streaming platform that offers access to nearly 2,500 events annually. The Bruins will be streamed on B1G+ one more time this season (at Washington, Feb. 7). B1G+ subscriptions can be purchased directly at www.bigtenplus.com. Fans can subscribe to B1G+ with an annual pass ($89.99 per year) or a monthly pass ($12.99). B1G+ subscriptions can also be purchased via in-app purchase in B1G+ apps.
IN THE RANKINGS
UCLA has seven gymnasts ranked in the Top 25 of the week three national rankings, which are based on average score. Jordan Chiles and Chae Campbell are in the Top 15 in the all-around, at ninth and 15th, respectively. Chiles also ranks fourth on bars, 11th on floor and 25th on vault, while Campbell ranks 24th on floor. Brooklyn Moors again holds UCLA's highest individual ranking, ranking second on floor. Emma Malabuyo leads three Bruins in the Top 20 on beam, ranking third. Emily Lee ranks 12th, and Ciena Alipio ranks 18th. Frida Esparza makes her season debut in the rankings at No. 23 on bars. As a team, UCLA ranks eighth overall, third on beam and floor, 14th on vault and 21st on bars.
ABOUT THE ILLINI
Illinois won its Big Ten opener last weekend, 196.275-195.600, over Nebraska. Freshman Chloe Cho won the all-around with a 39.400 score and was subsequently named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Cho will be returning to her hometown area this weekend. A Simi Valley native, she trained at Gymnastics Olympica and was a 2024 U.S. Championships qualifier. Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 at No. 26 overall but ranks No. 23 on floor and No. 25 on vault. Last season, the Illini finished sixth at the Big Ten Championships.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA recorded a 197.550 team score for the second consecutive week to earn its first-ever Big Ten Conference win at Maryland, 197.550-194.850, in front of a record crowd of 7,287. Jordan Chiles earned the Bruins' first perfect 10 of the season, on uneven bars in the first rotation. She also placed first in her first all-around turn of the year, scoring 39.500. UCLA closed strong in the meet, posting a 49.575 on floor, led by meet-winning 9.95s from Chiles and Brooklyn Moors, and a national-best 49.550 on balance beam, led by Emma Malabuyo's near-perfect 9.975.
CHILES, MOORS CLAIM BIG TEN AWARDS
UCLA gymnasts Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors were selected Big Ten Conference Co-Gymnast and Co-Event Specialist of the Week, respectively. This was Chiles' second consecutive Gymnast of the Week honor and Moors' first-ever Specialist of the Week award. Both Bruin Olympians played a prominent role in the team win at Maryland. Chiles won the all-around with a score of 39.500, uneven bars with a 10.0 and floor exercise for the second consecutive week, scoring 9.950. Moors earned season-high marks on each event on which she competed, tying with Chiles for first on floor with a career-high-tying 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and finishing fifth on beam with a 9.850. Moors' floor win was her second of the year.
GOLDEN GIRL RETURNS
Olympic gold medalist and two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles made her much-anticipated return to UCLA after a one-year absence to train for and ultimate compete in the Olympics. Chiles, who rejoined the team on Dec. 14 after the fall quarter ended, has jumped right in with the Bruin squad, competing in three events in the first two meets and the all-around last week despite limited training time. She earned her first victory of the season at the American Gold Classic in week one with a first-place score of 9.900 on vault and followed it up with a floor win at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad with a nearly-perfect 9.975. She scored her first perfect 10 of the year and ninth of her career at Maryland on Jan. 18, receiving a 10.0 on uneven bars. Chiles now ranks No. 6 all-time at UCLA with nine career 10s and No. 3 on bars with five 10s. Only Kyla Ross (11) and Jamie Dantzscher (7) have scored more 10s on bars. During Chiles' last NCAA season in 2023, she captured the NCAA uneven bars and floor exercise titles and helped lead UCLA to a fifth-place NCAA finish and Pac-12 regular season co-championship.
GIMME MOORS
2020 Canadian Olympian Brooklyn Moors has competed on three events in all three meets this season, marking the first time she has done so since Feb. 27, 2022. The graduate student has been mostly a floor specialist the last two seasons while dealing with injuries but has come on strong for her final season, adding vault and beam back into her repertoire. Moors won floor exercise at the season opener with a 9.900 and scored 9.825 on just her second beam routine in three years. At the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, she tied her career-high on floor with a 9.950 and added scores of 9.800 on vault and 9.775 on beam. She hit season-highs on all three events at Maryland, tying for first on floor with a 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and placing fifth on beam with a 9.850. She currently ranks second in the nation on floor, UCLA's highest individual ranking.
FOLLOW THE LEE-DER
In her usual No. 1 spot on balance beam, leadoff legend Emily Lee has set the tone for two of the biggest team beam scores in the nation in each of the last two weeks. At the Sprouts Collegiate Quad on Jan. 11, Lee kicked off the Bruins' competition with a 9.900 on beam, paving the way for a run of four additional scores of 9.875 or higher, including a meet-winning 9.925 from Emma Malabuyo. The Bruins' starting score of 49.475 gave the Bruins a lead that was never threatened. A week later, Lee improved on her season-best mark with a lead off 9.925 that was the second-highest beam score of the night, surpassed only by Malabuyo's 9.975. UCLA's team score of 49.550 was the highest in the nation on beam this season and ranks as the ninth-highest beam score in school history. In her career as a leadoff performer on beam, Lee is averaging 9.849 and has scored 9.900 or higher 57% of the time (17 times in 30 meets). A queen of consistency, Lee has hit all 85 of her routines in her career without a fall, with her only sub-9.6 score coming due to a start value deficiency.
BUYO BEAM QUEEN
Senior Emma Malabuyo has solidified her status as one of the best beam workers in the NCAA, ranking No. 3 in the nation with an average of 9.933. She has scored 9.900, 9.925 and 9.975 in her three meets this season and has earned Top 2 finishes each time, placing second in the season opener and first in each of the last two weeks. The 2024 Philippines Olympian and two-time All-American averages 9.860 on beam in her career and has 10 scores of 9.950 or better, including one 10.0 and five 9.975s. She has also been strong on floor exercise, averaging 9.835 over her career, with a high of 9.950.
BRUIN DEBUTS
Three Bruins made their collegiate debuts in the season opener, with sophomore Sydney Barros and freshmen Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin seeing action for the first time. Barros, who had not competed in a year and a half after suffering a torn ACL in the summer of 2023, earned a spot in the lineup on uneven bars and contributed a 9.550. McGowan had a strong first meet, earning Top 10 finishes on all three events on which she competed, scoring 9.850 on vault, 9.800 on bars and 9.775 on floor. Webster-Longin showed all four events, competing on vault and floor and performing exhibition routines on bars and beam. She produced UCLA's second-highest mark on floor with a 9.825 and added a 9.775 on her exhibition bars. McGowan and Webster-Longin have competed multiple events in each meet thus far, with McGowan doing vault, bars and floor in each meet and Webster-Longin competing vault in each meet, bars in two meets and floor once. McGowan produced the first 9.9 by a Bruin freshman this season with her 9.900 on floor at Maryland on Jan. 18.
SUPER SENIORS
The Bruins return the services of two fifth-year seniors in Chae Campbell and Frida Esparza for their extra year of Covid-19 eligibility. Campbell is an eight-time All-American, three-time perfect 10 scorer on floor exercise and the 2021 Pac-12 floor co-champion and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. Esparza earned all-conference honors on uneven bars as a freshman and owns career-highs of 9.950 on bars and 9.900 on balance beam. Campbell currently ranks No. 15 in the nation in the all-around with an average of 39.400 and is 24th on floor with a 9.887 average. Esparza won her first event title of the season at the Sprouts Collegiate Quad, where she scored 9.925 on bars. She averages 9.875 and has two Top 3 finishes in three meets.
BABY BRUINS
UCLA welcomes a five-member freshman class in 2025, led by three-time Level 10 National champions Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin. McGowan won the all-around, vault and floor at both the 2024 Nationals and Region 1 Championships. Webster-Longin was the 2023 all-around, bars and floor Level 10 national champion. She spent her 2024 competing elite with the Belgian National Team, seeing action at the DtB Pokal Competition in Germany and at the European Championships in Italy. Sasha Fujisaka brings in four years of experience at Level 10 Nationals, as well as a perfect 10 score on uneven bars and four Region 1 titles but will be sitting out this season due to injury. Bronwyn Hoffman is a two-time Level 10 Nationals competitor and 2023 Region 1 all-around medalist. Riley Jenkins is coming off a strong 2024 season, placing second in the all-around at the 2024 Level 10 All-Stars, second on vault and floor at the Region 1 Championships and winning the state all-around, vault and floor titles.
BARROS IS BACK
Sophomore Sydney Barros is back in action for her first year of competition in collegiate gymnastics. The 2023 Puerto Rican all-around national champion and World Championships qualifier missed the 2024 NCAA season after tearing her ACL at the 2023 Central American Games and made her Bruin competitive debut at the American Gold Classic, scoring 9.550 on uneven bars. Barros is a former three-time U.S. National Team member and bronze medalist at the 2019 Junior World Championships.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Bruin roster is filled with gymnasts who have represented their countries in international competition. Emma Malabuyo represented the Philippines at the 2024 Olympics and was the 2024 Asian Championships floor exercise champion and all-around bronze medalist and 2023 Asian Championships floor bronze medalist. Brooklyn Moors competed at the 2020 Olympics for Canada and was an all-around and floor finalist at three World Championships. Frida Esparza competed for Mexico at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships. Sydney Barros qualified for the 2023 World Championships for Puerto Rico and was previously a three-time U.S. National Team member. Freshman Mika Webster-Longin competed with Belgium at the 2024 European Championships. Other U.S. National Team competitors were Ciena Alipio, Emily Lee and Katelyn Rosen.
THE GRADUATES
UCLA has four graduate students on the 2025 roster. Chae Campbell and Carissa Clay are enrolled in UCLA's Transformative Coaching and Leadership program in the School of Education. Frida Esparza is pursuing a postgraduate certificate in marketing, and Brooklyn Moors is pursuing a postgraduate certificate in project management.
NEW STAFF
Joining head coach Janelle McDonald and assistant coach BJ Das on the Bruin coaching staff in 2025 are assistant coaches Mark Freeman and Lacy Dagen. Freeman comes to UCLA from Stanford, where he served as an assistant coach of the four-time defending national championship men's team. He coached 2024 Olympic bronze medalists Brody Malone and Asher Hong, as well as 2020 Olympic alternates Akash Modi and Brandon Briones. Dagen was an assistant coach at Arizona State in 2024, helping guide the Sun Devils to the NCAA Regional final and No. 16 national finish. She also coached at her alma mater Oregon State in 2023, as well as at UC Davis in 2022.
ABOUT THE BRUINS
UCLA is led by three Olympians in Jordan Chiles, Emma Malabuyo and Brooklyn Moors, an eight-time All-American in Chae Campbell, and all-conference gymnasts Frida Esparza and Katelyn Rosen. The Bruins, who were affected by Olympic deferrals and absences, finished 17th last season but regain the services of Olympic champion Jordan Chiles, who missed all of 2024 while training for her second Olympic Games, and World Championships qualifier Sydney Barros, who redshirted in 2024 due to injury. UCLA also gains a strong freshman class, led by three-time Level 10 national champions Macy McGowan and Mika Webster-Longin.
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
Seven returners and 10 Bruins overall earned WCGA Scholastic All-America honors in 2024. Graduate Brooklyn Moors (sociology) and seniors Mia Erdoes (business economics), Emily Lee (physiological science) and Emma Malabuyo (communication) all earned their third-straight honor. Junior Maddie Anyimi (applied mathematics) and senior Chae Campbell (communication) received their second Scholastic All-America distinction, while sophomore Katelyn Rosen (undeclared) earned her first. The WCGA Scholastic All-America team recognizes gymnasts who carry a 3.5 or higher cumulative grade point average or a 3.5 grade point average for the academic year. Additionally, Malabuyo and Moors earned Academic All-District honors, and graduate Frida Esparza (political science) joined the aforementioned seven in receiving Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll acclaim.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins host No. 4 Michigan State on Saturday, Feb. 1 in a meet that will be televised live on FOX. The matchup between the Big Ten newcomers and the defending Big Ten champions will be the first-ever gymnastics meet on the network. The meet is also UCLA's alumni meet. Tickets are on sale now at uclabruins.com/tickets.
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