This post was updated June 23 at 12:53 p.m.

Rising graduate student Frida Esparza is not hanging up her Bruin leotard yet. 

Esparza and UCLA gymnastics announced Friday that she will use her fifth year of NCAA eligibility to compete in the 2024-2025 season after the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries limited her previous four seasons. 

“I haven’t had a normal year here yet,” Esparza said. “After this last year, I was like, ‘You know what? This is actually, finally, kind of what I expected coming into college gymnastics.’ So I was like, ‘Why not give it another year?’ I have the opportunity. My body’s doing pretty good, and I don’t feel like I’m done with the sport yet.”

Before arriving in Westwood, the first-generation student represented the Mexican national team at the World Championships in 2018 and 2019. Esparza – who initially competed for the United States – was named the Mexican national all-around champion and won the title on uneven bars in 2018. 

In her collegiate debut against Arizona State, Esparza earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after placing first on bars with a score of 9.900 and notching a 9.800 on beam. Esparza finished her freshman campaign with honorable mention All-Pac 12 honors on bars.

But injuries tainted the Pittsburg, California, local’s career. A shoulder injury left her on the sidelines for six meets in 2022 and kept her out of competition for the entirety of the 2023 season. 

“She’s had a lot of ups and downs through her time as a NCAA gymnast, and I feel like she hasn’t hit her peak,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “I felt like this year she was starting to build towards that, so I’m excited for her to be able to have the best year yet that she’s had in the NCAA.”

Esparza returned to the lineups at the first meet of the 2024 season: She fell during her first two bar routines but bounced back and earned a 9.800 or higher in seven routines – with four being 9.900 or higher. 

While Esparza has not appeared on the floor lineup since 2022, she debuted her Metallica-themed floor routine at UCLA’s Senior Night.

Esparza said she feels better equipped to help the underclassmen now that she built strong relationships with the new coaching staff, who took over the program in May 2022.

“They’re going to be able to teach them (incoming freshmen) and to mentor them and to support them in their transition to NCAA gymnastics,” McDonald said. “And they’re just two great human beings. And, obviously, they have mastered becoming student-athletes.”

Esparza will join Chae Campbell – who recently announced her fifth year – as the two rising graduate students on the team.