The Bruins are one of only seven teams to boast a national gymnastics championship.

They share a record – with Stanford – for the highest team score ever recorded in a collegiate gymnastics meet.

They have a record-tying 42 individual NCAA championships since 1980.

And on Monday, No. 9 UCLA gymnastics will honor UCLA alumni, from both the defunct men’s and active women’s program, who have contributed to the program’s lasting legacy at the annual alumni meet.

“We’re one of the few programs that really has this tradition of excellence and this legacy in NCAA gymnastics,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “It’s something that every single person, and myself especially, really take pride in.”

From Sharon Shapiro to Mohini Bhardwaj, Jamie Danztcher to Kyla Ross, UCLA gymnastics’ legacy spans both decades and countries and exists both within and beyond the NCAA.

The seven-time national champions have an alumni roster that contains Olympic, world and national champions from all corners of the globe.

As the 2018 Mexican bars and all-around champion, Frida Esparza is one of those Bruins. In addition to the senior, the Bruin alumni base contains national champions from eight other countries. These international Bruins, for whom the NCAA may not have been as present in their cultures, know UCLA’s legacy.

“I didn’t really get into college gymnastics until much later,” Esparza said. “But one of my biggest inspirations ever was Kyla Ross. She is amazing. I was so lucky that we got her as undergraduate assistant coach my freshman year.”

Whether through assistant coach positions or general support, Bruins often have the chance to meet and learn from their alumni inspirations.

Senior Chae Campbell said these interactions make the Bruins aware of the program’s legacy and further motivate them as athletes.

“Their support means the world to us,” Campbell said, “It helps us know that we’re not doing it just for ourselves. We’re doing it for something bigger, and it’s carrying on the legacy that they built for us.”

With alumni in the building Monday, UCLA will compete against No. 4 Utah – one of the other six teams that have won a championship and carry a strong gymnastics legacy in their own right.

Over the years, the Red Rocks and Bruins have developed a long-standing rivalry, with intense meets becoming the norm. McDonald said this competitiveness is due in part to the high-achieving culture of both teams.

“Any time that you’re against another team that has that long-standing tradition of excellence, you want to show up as your best,” McDonald said.

The current legion of Bruins has continued this tradition, earning 11 All-American awards at the NCAA championships last year and finishing the 2023 season ranked No. 5 in the nation.

Campbell said her team aspires to extend the legacy established by the last generation of Bruin gymnasts.

“It puts into perspective how much they put into this program so that we would have this opportunity,” Campbell said. “It also makes me want to do my best to represent the program so that hopefully in the future, someone can look at me the way I look at the alumni.”