‘I’m fighting for my life to get in lineups’: UCLA gymnastics tests newfound depth

Coach Janelle McDonald claps from the sidelines of Pauley Pavilion. (Myka Fromm/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Hannah Westerhold
Jan. 17, 2025 9:15 p.m.
Many questioned what went wrong when UCLA gymnastics finished the 2024 season with its worst ranking in 18 years.
Head coach Janelle McDonald said a lack of depth was the culprit.
“I actually didn’t think we had depth last year at all,” McDonald said. “We were kind of at the end of our line, as far as people that were competition ready.”
But if depth was the problem in 2024, then McDonald found a solution for 2025.
Graduate student Brooklyn Moors jumped from competing in just one event last season to making lineups on three events in both of UCLA’s meets this year.
Moors, a 2020 Olympic all-around finalist for Canada, certainly had versatility but could only help the Bruins if the details were perfected. And perfect them she did, averaging a 9.842 on the three events she competed in Saturday – including a career-high matching 9.950 on floor.
“This year just feels very different,” McDonald said. “We have about 12 people on each event that could compete, so that’s a great place to be.”
But, you can’t talk about the Bruins’ depth without acknowledging the return of Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles. She entered her junior year as a staple on three events, and is working towards all-around status by adding beam.
“I would say this week of training on beam has been her best since she’s (Chiles’) been back.” McDonald said. “She’s probably going to be in the lineup pretty soon.”
However, it isn’t just veterans who have made a splash in UCLA’s lineups this season. Not only did freshman Macy McGowan compete in three events at each of her first two meets as a Bruin, but she scored well enough to have every score count towards UCLA’s vault, bars and floor totals. Fellow freshman Mika Webster-Longin also made her collegiate debut on three events, already showing a 0.350 improvement on vault between her first two meets.
Despite a setback in the preseason, McDonald said freshman Riley Jenkins’ 1 1/2 vault could be ready for competition soon, adding yet another option for the vault lineup.
The added depth, however means changes for last year’s starters. Senior Emily Lee often competed in three events in 2024, but has only showcased beam and vault this year.
“I’m fighting for my life to get in lineups, which is like the greatest thing a team can have,” Lee said. “Just being competitive with each other, trying to make each other better.”
UCLA’s newfound lineup flexibility paid off Saturday at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad, recording the nation’s third-highest team score this year. And it could continue to pay dividends throughout the campaign.