Friday, February 14
8:00 PM (PT)
UCLA
vs
Penn State
Ciena Alipio
Photo by: Lillie Yazdi
UCLA Hosts Penn State in Friday Night Pride Meet
February 13, 2025 | Gymnastics
No. 5 UCLA vs. No. 25 Penn Stateย
Date: Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 โ ย 8 pm PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Talent: Elise Woodward, JaNay Honest
Live Stats: virti.us
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets; UCLA students free w/ valid Bruin Card
UCLA HOSTS PENN STATE FRIDAY NIGHTย
No. 5 UCLA (7-2 overall, 4-0 in the Big Ten) will host No. 25 Penn State (8-2, 3-1) on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. PT at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Valentine's Day meet is UCLA's Pride Meet, celebrating pride, inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community. Mini pride flags will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans. Big Ten Network will broadcast the meet, the first of four consecutive Bruin meets on the Network, with Elise Woodward and JaNay Honest on the call. Graduate student Frida Esparza will perform the national anthem on electric guitar in pre-meet ceremonies beginning at 7:45 p.m. ย ย
IN THE RANKINGS ย
UCLA moved into the Top 5 of the national rankings after posting a season-high of 197.950 last weekend at Washington, raising its season average to 197.133. The Bruins remained at No. 1 on floor exercise and moved up in the other three events, checking in at No. 4 on beam, No. 7 on vault and No. 15 on bars. Graduate student Brooklyn Moors remains ranked No. 1 on floor for the second consecutive week. Four other Bruins are ranked in the Top 25 of the national rankings - Jordan Chiles, who is ranked Top 20 in three events (No. 3 on floor, No. 12 on vault and No. 20 in the all-around); Chae Campbell, who is also ranked on three events (No. 11 in the all-around, No. 14 on floor and No. 16 on vault); Emma Malabuyo, who moved up to third on beam; and Frida Esparza, who climbed to ninth on bars.ย
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONSย
Penn State enters the week ranked No. 25 in the national rankings with a season average of 195.713. The Nittany Lions have a season-best of 196.325, set Jan. 31 in a home win over Illinois. They are ranked No. 19 on bars (49.075 average) and No. 23 on floor (49.013 average) and have won three conference dual meets in a row, boasting a 3-1 conference record and an 8-2 overall mark. Penn State is coached by Sarah Brown in her seventh season.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA put together a complete team performance in a 197.950-196.125 victory at Washington on Feb. 7. The Bruins recorded a season-high team total, surpassing their previous mark by four-tenths of a point, and hit 24-for-24 routines, including 14 scores of 9.9 or higher. UCLA swept the individual events, with Chae Campbell capturing the all-around title with a season-high 39.625 and winning vault with a season-best 9.925. Frida Esparza tied her career-high with a 9.950 to win uneven bars for the third time this season. Ciena Alipio and Emma Malabuyo tied for first on balance beam with scores of 9.950, a new career-high for Alipio. Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors tied for first on floor exercise with 9.950s. As a team, the Bruins earned season-highs on uneven bars (49.425) and balance beam (49.625).ย
CAMPBELL NAMED BIG TEN CO-GYMNAST OF WEEK ย
Graduate student Chae Campbell earned her first career Big Ten Conference Gymnast of the Week honor, sharing the award with Nikki Smith from Michigan State. Campbell won the all-around at Washington with a season-best score of 39.625, the highest all-around mark by a Big Ten gymnast this year and the third-best all-around total of her career. Campbell also won vault with a season-high-tying 9.925, earning a perfect mark by one of the two judges. The vault win was her third this season, and the all-around victory was her second in the last three meets. She has placed in the Top 3 in the all-around in each of the five meets she has competed in the all-around, and her average of 39.440 puts her in Top 12 in the nation. Campbell also contributed third-place marks of 9.925 on beam and floor, along with a leadoff 9.850 on bars that led UCLA to a season-best mark of 49.425. Her career-high-tying 9.925 on beam also led to a team season-high of 49.625, the second-highest beam score in the nation this year. This was Campbell's second career conference gymnast of the week award and UCLA's fourth this season. ย ย
MOORS NUMBER ONE ON FLOOR ย
The No. 1-ranked gymnast in the nation on floor exercise for the second consecutive week is 2020 Canadian Olympian Brooklyn Moors. The UCLA graduate student is averaging 9.937, with four of her six routines scoring 9.950 or higher, including a career-best 9.975 on Feb. 1. Moors has placed in the Top 3 on floor in every meet and has captured three event titles. She has competed on three events in all six meets this season. The last season she competed in three events was 2022, as she has mostly served as a floor specialist the last two years while dealing with injuries. Last week at Washington, she tied for first on floor with a 9.950, tied her career-high on vault with a second-place 9.900, and set a new career-best on beam with a 9.900. She earned Big Ten Co-Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 21 after earning season-high marks on each event at Maryland, tying for first on floor with a 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and finishing fifth on beam with a 9.850. ย ย
GOLDEN GIRL RETURNS ย
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 ultimately 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 at least three events in every meet despite limited training time prior to the season. She earned her first victory of the year 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, and she added another 10 on Feb. 1, this time on floor exercise, the fifth of her career. Chiles now ranks No. 5 all-time at UCLA with 10 career 10s and No. 3 on bars ย and floor with five 10s on each event. Only Kyla Ross (11) and Jamie Dantzscher (7) have scored more 10s on bars, and only Dantzscher (17) and Katelyn Ohashi (9) have more than Chiles on floor. 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.ย
BUYO BEAM QUEEN ย ย
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 9.929. She has scored 9.900 or higher in all six meets this season, with a high of 9.975, and has earned Top 2 finishes in each meet, including four wins. The 2024 Philippines Olympian and two-time All-American averages 9.8653 on beam in her career and has 11 scores of 9.950 or better, including one 10.0 and five 9.975s. She has also been strong on floor exercise, averaging 9.841 over her career, with a career-high of 9.950 and season-best of 9.925, which she achieved against Illinois for a second-place showing. ย ย ย ย ย ย
FOLLOW THE LEE-DER ย ย
In her usual No. 1 spot on balance beam, leadoff legend Emily Lee sets the tone for the No. 4 beam squad in the nation. The Bruins are averaging 49.308 on beam and have earned 49.4 or higher three times this year - all on the road - including a season-best 49.625 (No. 6 mark in school history) at Washington on Feb. 7. Lee started each of those three rotations with scores of 9.900 or higher, including a season-high 9.925 on Jan. 18 at Maryland. Her 9.900 at Washington was the first of six 9.9+ scores on beam, marking the first time since 2016 that a UCLA team had all six competitors score 9.9 or higher on beam. In her career as a leadoff performer on beam, Lee is averaging 9.847 and has scored 9.900 or higher 55% of the time (18 times in 33 meets). Her leadoff prowess is not confined to beam. As the vault leadoff this year, she is averaging 9.821 with a high of 9.900, and in two floor leadoff performances, she is averaging 9.863. She made her floor season debut against Michigan State on Feb. 1, scoring 9.875 to help the Bruins post a national-best 49.800 floor mark. A queen of consistency, Lee has hit all 93 of her routines in her career without a fall, with her only sub-9.6 score coming due to a start value deficiency. ย ย ย
ALL-AROUND EXCELLENCE ย ย
Graduate student Chae Campbell has competed in the all-around in each of the last five meets, averaging 39.440 to rank No. 11 in the nation. Campbell has finished in the Top 3 in each meet and has two victories, winning against Illinois on Jan. 25 with a 39.400 and posting the Big Ten's top all-around mark on Feb. 7 with a 39.625 at Washington en route to winning Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week honors. Campbell averages 9.905 on floor, with a high of 9.975 Feb. 1 against Michigan State, and 9.875 on vault, with a high of 9.925 on her 9.950 start value vault against Illinois and at Washington. She has also earned season-highs of 9.850 leading off on bars in the last two weeks.
FABULOUS FRESHMAN ย ย
Macy McGowan has been not just one of the standout freshmen on the team but one of the standouts overall, hitting all 18 of her routines this season. She earned career-bests of 9.900 on vault and 9.950 on floor exercise against Michigan State on Feb. 1 and has scored a season-high of 9.875 on uneven bars twice. McGowan averages over 9.8 on each of the three events she competes, including 9.867 on floor, and has not scored under 9.750 on any event this season. ย ย ย ย ย ย
BRUIN DEBUTS ย
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 in each meet thus far, with McGowan doing vault, bars and floor in every meet and Webster-Longin competing on vault and bars in four meets and on floor in two meets. Riley Jenkins made her collegiate debut on Feb. 1 after an early preseason injury. She hit for a 9.850 on her Yurchenko 1.5 to help the Bruins record a season-high vault score of 49.350.ย
BARROS IS BACK ย
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, and has performed exhibitions in the last three meets, scoring 9.750 and 9.800 on floor and 9.750 and 9.825 on bars. Barros is a former three-time U.S. National Team member and bronze medalist at the 2019 Junior World Championships. ย ย
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. 11 in the nation in the all-around with an average of ย 39.440 and has captured two all-around wins, including last weekend with a Big Ten-best 39.625. ย Esparza has three event victories on uneven bars, winning the Sprouts Collegiate Quad on Jan. 18, against Illinois on Jan. 25 and at Washington on Feb. 7 with a career-high-tying 9.950. She ranks ninth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with an average of 9.892.
BABY BRUINSย
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. ย ย ย ย ย
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR ย ย
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.ย
THE GRADUATESย
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. ย ย
NEW STAFF ย
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.ย
ABOUT THE BRUINS ย
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.ย
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES ย
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.ย
FUTURE BRUINS TO COMPETE IN WINTER CUP
UCLA 2026 signees Tiana Sumanasekera and Nola Matthews will kick off their 2025 season by competing in the Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky. on Feb. 22. The Winter Cup is a qualifying event to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Sumanasekera was a 2024 Olympic alternate and three-time gold medalist at the 2023 Pan American Championships. Matthews won gold on uneven bars and placed fifth in the all-around at the 2022 Winter Cup and is a two-time USA Gymnastics Sportsperson of the Year winner. ย ย
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins will travel to Michigan for a Sunday, Feb. 23 dual meet against the Wolverines at 4pm ET/1pm PT. The meet will be televised live on Big Ten Network.ย
ย
Date: Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 โ ย 8 pm PT
Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom)
Broadcast: Big Ten Network
Talent: Elise Woodward, JaNay Honest
Live Stats: virti.us
Tickets: uclabruins.com/tickets; UCLA students free w/ valid Bruin Card
UCLA HOSTS PENN STATE FRIDAY NIGHTย
No. 5 UCLA (7-2 overall, 4-0 in the Big Ten) will host No. 25 Penn State (8-2, 3-1) on Friday, Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. PT at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. The Valentine's Day meet is UCLA's Pride Meet, celebrating pride, inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community. Mini pride flags will be distributed to the first 1,000 fans. Big Ten Network will broadcast the meet, the first of four consecutive Bruin meets on the Network, with Elise Woodward and JaNay Honest on the call. Graduate student Frida Esparza will perform the national anthem on electric guitar in pre-meet ceremonies beginning at 7:45 p.m. ย ย
IN THE RANKINGS ย
UCLA moved into the Top 5 of the national rankings after posting a season-high of 197.950 last weekend at Washington, raising its season average to 197.133. The Bruins remained at No. 1 on floor exercise and moved up in the other three events, checking in at No. 4 on beam, No. 7 on vault and No. 15 on bars. Graduate student Brooklyn Moors remains ranked No. 1 on floor for the second consecutive week. Four other Bruins are ranked in the Top 25 of the national rankings - Jordan Chiles, who is ranked Top 20 in three events (No. 3 on floor, No. 12 on vault and No. 20 in the all-around); Chae Campbell, who is also ranked on three events (No. 11 in the all-around, No. 14 on floor and No. 16 on vault); Emma Malabuyo, who moved up to third on beam; and Frida Esparza, who climbed to ninth on bars.ย
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONSย
Penn State enters the week ranked No. 25 in the national rankings with a season average of 195.713. The Nittany Lions have a season-best of 196.325, set Jan. 31 in a home win over Illinois. They are ranked No. 19 on bars (49.075 average) and No. 23 on floor (49.013 average) and have won three conference dual meets in a row, boasting a 3-1 conference record and an 8-2 overall mark. Penn State is coached by Sarah Brown in her seventh season.
LAST TIME OUT
UCLA put together a complete team performance in a 197.950-196.125 victory at Washington on Feb. 7. The Bruins recorded a season-high team total, surpassing their previous mark by four-tenths of a point, and hit 24-for-24 routines, including 14 scores of 9.9 or higher. UCLA swept the individual events, with Chae Campbell capturing the all-around title with a season-high 39.625 and winning vault with a season-best 9.925. Frida Esparza tied her career-high with a 9.950 to win uneven bars for the third time this season. Ciena Alipio and Emma Malabuyo tied for first on balance beam with scores of 9.950, a new career-high for Alipio. Jordan Chiles and Brooklyn Moors tied for first on floor exercise with 9.950s. As a team, the Bruins earned season-highs on uneven bars (49.425) and balance beam (49.625).ย
CAMPBELL NAMED BIG TEN CO-GYMNAST OF WEEK ย
Graduate student Chae Campbell earned her first career Big Ten Conference Gymnast of the Week honor, sharing the award with Nikki Smith from Michigan State. Campbell won the all-around at Washington with a season-best score of 39.625, the highest all-around mark by a Big Ten gymnast this year and the third-best all-around total of her career. Campbell also won vault with a season-high-tying 9.925, earning a perfect mark by one of the two judges. The vault win was her third this season, and the all-around victory was her second in the last three meets. She has placed in the Top 3 in the all-around in each of the five meets she has competed in the all-around, and her average of 39.440 puts her in Top 12 in the nation. Campbell also contributed third-place marks of 9.925 on beam and floor, along with a leadoff 9.850 on bars that led UCLA to a season-best mark of 49.425. Her career-high-tying 9.925 on beam also led to a team season-high of 49.625, the second-highest beam score in the nation this year. This was Campbell's second career conference gymnast of the week award and UCLA's fourth this season. ย ย
MOORS NUMBER ONE ON FLOOR ย
The No. 1-ranked gymnast in the nation on floor exercise for the second consecutive week is 2020 Canadian Olympian Brooklyn Moors. The UCLA graduate student is averaging 9.937, with four of her six routines scoring 9.950 or higher, including a career-best 9.975 on Feb. 1. Moors has placed in the Top 3 on floor in every meet and has captured three event titles. She has competed on three events in all six meets this season. The last season she competed in three events was 2022, as she has mostly served as a floor specialist the last two years while dealing with injuries. Last week at Washington, she tied for first on floor with a 9.950, tied her career-high on vault with a second-place 9.900, and set a new career-best on beam with a 9.900. She earned Big Ten Co-Event Specialist of the Week on Jan. 21 after earning season-high marks on each event at Maryland, tying for first on floor with a 9.950, tying for second on vault with a 9.875 and finishing fifth on beam with a 9.850. ย ย
GOLDEN GIRL RETURNS ย
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 ultimately 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 at least three events in every meet despite limited training time prior to the season. She earned her first victory of the year 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, and she added another 10 on Feb. 1, this time on floor exercise, the fifth of her career. Chiles now ranks No. 5 all-time at UCLA with 10 career 10s and No. 3 on bars ย and floor with five 10s on each event. Only Kyla Ross (11) and Jamie Dantzscher (7) have scored more 10s on bars, and only Dantzscher (17) and Katelyn Ohashi (9) have more than Chiles on floor. 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.ย
BUYO BEAM QUEEN ย ย
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 9.929. She has scored 9.900 or higher in all six meets this season, with a high of 9.975, and has earned Top 2 finishes in each meet, including four wins. The 2024 Philippines Olympian and two-time All-American averages 9.8653 on beam in her career and has 11 scores of 9.950 or better, including one 10.0 and five 9.975s. She has also been strong on floor exercise, averaging 9.841 over her career, with a career-high of 9.950 and season-best of 9.925, which she achieved against Illinois for a second-place showing. ย ย ย ย ย ย
FOLLOW THE LEE-DER ย ย
In her usual No. 1 spot on balance beam, leadoff legend Emily Lee sets the tone for the No. 4 beam squad in the nation. The Bruins are averaging 49.308 on beam and have earned 49.4 or higher three times this year - all on the road - including a season-best 49.625 (No. 6 mark in school history) at Washington on Feb. 7. Lee started each of those three rotations with scores of 9.900 or higher, including a season-high 9.925 on Jan. 18 at Maryland. Her 9.900 at Washington was the first of six 9.9+ scores on beam, marking the first time since 2016 that a UCLA team had all six competitors score 9.9 or higher on beam. In her career as a leadoff performer on beam, Lee is averaging 9.847 and has scored 9.900 or higher 55% of the time (18 times in 33 meets). Her leadoff prowess is not confined to beam. As the vault leadoff this year, she is averaging 9.821 with a high of 9.900, and in two floor leadoff performances, she is averaging 9.863. She made her floor season debut against Michigan State on Feb. 1, scoring 9.875 to help the Bruins post a national-best 49.800 floor mark. A queen of consistency, Lee has hit all 93 of her routines in her career without a fall, with her only sub-9.6 score coming due to a start value deficiency. ย ย ย
ALL-AROUND EXCELLENCE ย ย
Graduate student Chae Campbell has competed in the all-around in each of the last five meets, averaging 39.440 to rank No. 11 in the nation. Campbell has finished in the Top 3 in each meet and has two victories, winning against Illinois on Jan. 25 with a 39.400 and posting the Big Ten's top all-around mark on Feb. 7 with a 39.625 at Washington en route to winning Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week honors. Campbell averages 9.905 on floor, with a high of 9.975 Feb. 1 against Michigan State, and 9.875 on vault, with a high of 9.925 on her 9.950 start value vault against Illinois and at Washington. She has also earned season-highs of 9.850 leading off on bars in the last two weeks.
FABULOUS FRESHMAN ย ย
Macy McGowan has been not just one of the standout freshmen on the team but one of the standouts overall, hitting all 18 of her routines this season. She earned career-bests of 9.900 on vault and 9.950 on floor exercise against Michigan State on Feb. 1 and has scored a season-high of 9.875 on uneven bars twice. McGowan averages over 9.8 on each of the three events she competes, including 9.867 on floor, and has not scored under 9.750 on any event this season. ย ย ย ย ย ย
BRUIN DEBUTS ย
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 in each meet thus far, with McGowan doing vault, bars and floor in every meet and Webster-Longin competing on vault and bars in four meets and on floor in two meets. Riley Jenkins made her collegiate debut on Feb. 1 after an early preseason injury. She hit for a 9.850 on her Yurchenko 1.5 to help the Bruins record a season-high vault score of 49.350.ย
BARROS IS BACK ย
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, and has performed exhibitions in the last three meets, scoring 9.750 and 9.800 on floor and 9.750 and 9.825 on bars. Barros is a former three-time U.S. National Team member and bronze medalist at the 2019 Junior World Championships. ย ย
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. 11 in the nation in the all-around with an average of ย 39.440 and has captured two all-around wins, including last weekend with a Big Ten-best 39.625. ย Esparza has three event victories on uneven bars, winning the Sprouts Collegiate Quad on Jan. 18, against Illinois on Jan. 25 and at Washington on Feb. 7 with a career-high-tying 9.950. She ranks ninth in the nation and second in the Big Ten with an average of 9.892.
BABY BRUINSย
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. ย ย ย ย ย
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR ย ย
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.ย
THE GRADUATESย
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. ย ย
NEW STAFF ย
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.ย
ABOUT THE BRUINS ย
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.ย
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES ย
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.ย
FUTURE BRUINS TO COMPETE IN WINTER CUP
UCLA 2026 signees Tiana Sumanasekera and Nola Matthews will kick off their 2025 season by competing in the Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky. on Feb. 22. The Winter Cup is a qualifying event to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Sumanasekera was a 2024 Olympic alternate and three-time gold medalist at the 2023 Pan American Championships. Matthews won gold on uneven bars and placed fifth in the all-around at the 2022 Winter Cup and is a two-time USA Gymnastics Sportsperson of the Year winner. ย ย
LOOKING AHEAD
The Bruins will travel to Michigan for a Sunday, Feb. 23 dual meet against the Wolverines at 4pm ET/1pm PT. The meet will be televised live on Big Ten Network.ย
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Jordan Chiles - 2025 Big Ten Championships Floor (10.0)
Thursday, September 04
Chae Campbell - 2025 NCAA Championship Floor (9.925)
Friday, August 15
Frida Esparza - 2025 NCAA Semifinal Bars (9.925)
Saturday, August 09
Frida Esparza - 2025 NCAA Semifinals Bars (9.925)
Saturday, August 09