A history of success will be celebrated Saturday.
No. 4 UCLA (8-2, 4-0 Big Ten) will host No. 9 Michigan (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) for its Alumni meet at Pauley Pavilion, coinciding with Valentine’s Day.
“We’re really working on connection and making sure the love and the fun of gymnastics is still going on,” said sophomore Riley Jenkins. “The energy is great in the gym, and we’re really excited to go and show what we’ve been working on.”
Before heading to bars, the Bruins will honor their Honda Cup and Honda Award winners, including alumnus Christine Peng-Peng Lee. The 2018 graduate will also kick off the meet by singing the national anthem.
Lee concluded her collegiate career with two perfect scores at the National Championship meet, securing the program’s first victory in eight years.
[Related: ‘It came at the right moment’: Rewinding to UCLA gymnastics’ 2018 championship win]
Lee notched perfection on bars and beam – coincidentally the only two events on which senior Jordan Chiles has yet to perfect in 2026.
Chiles enters the weekend fresh off three consecutive perfect floor marks, adding to her six perfect scores on the apparatus prior to the 2026 season. Despite identical perfect marks from Chiles in the past two meets, the Bruins’ floor total dipped from 49.700 on Jan. 30 to 49.425 on Feb. 7.
The Bruins are No. 8 on floor – their lowest event ranking. Bars currently stands as the Bruins’ highest-ranked event at No. 3, closely followed by beam at No. 4.
In collegiate gymnastics, both bars and beam success hinges on the landing. Coach Janelle McDonald said that this week’s practices have focused on stuck landings for the squad to be competition-ready.
“At the end of the day, it really is about them staying very present until the end of their routine … to make the stick happen,” McDonald said.
Last week, half the lineup on beam and bars stuck their landings cold.
One stuck landing on beam came from senior Ciena Alipio, who has yet to dip below a 9.925 on the apparatus this year. Last week’s beam total dipped only half a tenth below the Jan. 30 tally, and edged ahead of the Bruins’ 49.417 season average.
Junior Katelyn Rosen, who has led off every beam and floor lineup in 2026, tied her season-high 9.900 on beam last weekend.
“The little details, the landings – they have improved every single time,” Rosen said. “We’re just trying to keep these good vibes rolling.”
Rosen also tied her season-high on vault with a 9.875, and Jenkins earned a matching score for her career-high.
The Wolverines have closed the space between themselves and the Bruins in the national rankings since last season. In last year’s dual meet against then-No. 15 Michigan, then-No. 2 UCLA cemented the win with a 0.700 lead.
On the night honoring UCLA champions of the past, the 2026 Bruin squad brings the momentum of an unblemished conference streak carried over from 2025.
The meet will begin at 4 p.m. in Pauley Pavilion.
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