With the Big Ten regular-season title on the line during the Big Four Meet on Friday, the UCLA gymnastics team is focused on what it can control.
“Our goal is to go out there and just do what we’ve been doing all season long,” UCLA coach Janelle McDonald said. “Hitting great gymnastics and continuing to just build the confidence on the competition floor before we head into [the] postseason.”
Entering the season, the Bruins had a few elite veterans and an otherwise young team. The steady growth of underclassmen have helped UCLA earn its No. 4 national ranking and move a victory away from claiming its second consecutive Big Ten regular-season title.
“Last year, when we came into the Big Ten, we really wanted to make a statement and I think we did just that,” McDonald said. “Coming in this year with a younger team, hungry to just continue that has just been really special.”
UCLA teammates cheer as freshman Ashlee Sullivan finishes her routine on the floor exercise at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
In the nine weeks of competition, the Bruins have adapted and showed up for each other, but navigating the college season requires a different level of work management. As UCLA looks ahead to postseason competition, McDonald and the coaching staff have been mindful of the young team’s approach to staying locked in while balancing fatigue.
“Not every day has to look like full-out competition mode routines,” she said. “It’s really about refining the details and doing things that help us feel great for the weekend and trusting that each weekend your gymnastics is where it needs to be.”
During the past two weeks, the coaching staff has worked to shift the team’s mentality to be cognizant of the rest and recovery needed heading into the postseason without letting up during meets.
UCLA is coming off posting a season-high road score against Illinois. Jordan Chiles earned her conference single-season record eighth Big Ten Conference Gymnast of the Week award. Ashlee Sullivan tied teammate Tiana Sumanasekera for the most Freshman of the Week awards after receiving her third honor following a new career-high on vault and tying her best score on the floor.
On Friday, the Bruins will face No. 18 Iowa, No. 19 Ohio State and No. 25 Maryland, their toughest competition since their last quad meet, where they placed third behind Oklahoma and LSU. Regardless of the opponent, the strategy doesn’t change and the multiple opponents will give the Bruins the opportunity to immerse themselves in a postseason environment.
UCLA will not choose the event it starts with, there is no time for exhibition routines and there will be no open training on other events. There will be a lot going on, with four teams on the floor. It’s easy to get distracted.
McDonald wants her team to stay focused on what it can control within the Bruin bubble.
“All those things are very much in alignment with how a postseason competition feels,” McDonald said. “Really just reminding them that this is great practice for what’s coming ahead, it’s definitely something we’ve talked about this week.”
UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles performs her floor exercise routine at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 17.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Being successful for consecutive years in a new conference that consistently sees teams scoring higher than 197 means a lot to UCLA. Especially with a young team that hasn’t gone through the college season before. Watching them change their approach to the daily grind and seeing the young team, anchored by Olympic gold-medalist Jordan Chiles, has been a big part of the team’s success.
A regular-season title is just a part of the process.
“We want to go out there and represent the four letters the best we can each and every year,” McDonald said. “Really proud of the consistency our team has shown to do just that.”
Malabuyo growing as a leader
As a member of the coaching staff, Emma Malabuyo has gained a better understanding of the other side of the sport and is growing into her new leadership role. She joined the staff after ending her collegiate career in 2025 as a four-time All-American and three-time conference team champion.
“It’s very helpful for our athletes to be able to talk through things with her because she is now able to understand what they’re going through, but also see it from a coach’s perspective,” McDonald said of the graduate student assistant. “Her [coaching] style is just typical of who she is and that’s really just supportive, caring and really hungry to be great.”
