The UCLA gymnastics team has longed for consistent lineups this season, and it appears the Bruins could finally get their wish – and at the right time.
Veteran performers returned to their respective lineups in the final dual meet of the season against Clemson to help UCLA earn its third-highest team score in program history and restore confidence as the Bruins head into Saturday’s Pac-12 championships.
“We have the team to be able to compete with anybody in the country,” UCLA second-year coach Janelle McDonald said.
The Bruins are the No. 11 team nationally and the No. 3 seed in the conference championships, which will be held in West Valley City, Utah. UCLA will compete in the 6 p.m. evening session alongside No. 1 seed California, No. 2 seed Utah and No. 4 seed Oregon State.
No. 5 seed Stanford, No. 6 seed Arizona State, No. 7 seed Arizona and No. 8 seed Washington will be in the 1 p.m. afternoon session. The team with the highest score from the two sessions will be crowned the Pac-12 champion. Gymnasts from both sessions will also compete for individual championships.
UCLA’s rotation order will be balance beam, floor exercise, vault, then uneven bars.
The Bruins, which did not speak with media in the week leading up to Pac-12 championships due to finals week and travel, will likely have fleshed-out balance beam and floor exercise lineups this weekend.
Ciena Alipio was in the beam lineup again against Clemson after recovering from injury and Emma Malabuyo is settled in for the same event after fulfilling elite gymnastics obligations. The two helped UCLA secure the fourth-highest score in school history in beam.
Margzetta Frazier and Chae Campbell came back to bolster the floor lineup in the same meet, and Campbell hit a perfect 10 for the first time since 2022.
“Having those people that have the experience of going out every weekend and nailing their routines and being that steady presence is something that really bodes well for us,”…
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