Breaking 198.000 is rare in NCAA gymnastics.

It’s even rarer for a team to do it in the first month of the season.

So, when the Bruins posted a 198.150 mark last week, it may have left fans and foe alike with a lingering question – can the Bruins go up from here?

According to coach Janelle McDonald, they can. Improvement from here, she said, just requires honing in on the details.

“We still have a lot of season in front of us,” McDonald said. “After such a great weekend, we want to take some of those things with us into the next meet, continue to get better, continue to dial those little details in.”

No. 5 UCLA (7-2, 3-0 Big Ten) will take on No. 17 Minnesota (4-2, 2-1) at Maturi Pavilion in Minneapolis on Saturday. The competition marks the first time the Bruins and the Golden Gophers have competed in a dual meet since UCLA joined the Big Ten in 2024.

UCLA posted a 198.150 in its Jan. 30 meet versus Washington, bolstered by a 10 on floor from senior standout Jordan Chiles – her third-straight competition earning a perfect score. It was the first time the Bruins – who have improved their all-around score in every meet this season – broke the mark in 23 years.

[Related: Jordan Chiles achieves third-straight perfect 10 in victory over Washington]

The competition will be the Bruins’ sixth of the season, putting them past the regular season halfway point.

Freshman Tiana Sumanasekera said she and the rest of the rookie class are, in fact, sweating the small stuff. The newcomers want to be the X-factor in bringing the Bruins to the top of the NCAA, especially considering their second-place finish last season, Sumanasekera added.

“We’ve been in the gym determined and working on every single little nitty gritty detail,” Sumanasekera said. “We’re a super strong freshman class.”

Multiple newcomers – including Big Ten Freshman of the Week winners Sumanasekera and Ashlee Sullivan, as well as five-time United States National Team member Nola Matthews – have earned bigger roles in UCLA’s lineups throughout the season’s progression. Both Sumanasekara and Sullivan have competed in the all-around, and Matthews has consistently appeared in multiple events, barring the week she had the flu.

McDonald added that the freshman class has adjusted well to the NCAA’s uniquely demanding schedule.

“Never in their life have they done this many competitions in a row, and I keep checking on them to see how they’re feeling, how they’re doing, and it’s been so cool to see how motivated they are each and every week,” McDonald said. “They live for the weekends.”

The meet will mark the Bruins’ first top-20 matchup since their second competition of the season, when they came up short against No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 3 LSU. The Golden Gophers are undefeated at home this season.

“It’s been so awesome to see the consistency build,” said senior Ciena Alipio. “We want this so bad, and it’s just constant dedication over and over and over, every single day in the gym.”