Like passing a baton, life can close chapters while opening new ones.

And after nine weeks, the Bruins are transitioning from the conclusion of one campaign to the start of another.

UCLA will travel to Long Beach, California, to compete in the Beach Opener on Friday and Saturday, its first outdoor competition of the year, where it will face Cal Poly Pomona, UC Irvine and Minnesota.

Freshman distance runner Arrin Sagiraju said there are subtle differences between the track shapes in indoor track facilities within a confined atmosphere compared to outdoor events.

“I like indoor track because it’s a smaller track and the fans are a lot closer to the track,” Sagiraju said. “It’s like you’re running on a stage, and everyone’s watching you, whereas outdoor spots are so huge that you’re a little further from the audience.”

During last week’s Big Ten Indoor championships, Sagiraju, sophomore distance runner Everett Capelle, graduate student sprinter and hurdler Chris Paige and redshirt freshman distance runner Jack Falkowski placed seventh in the men’s distance medley relay with a time of 9:43.61.

Despite their performance last week, the Bruins will not be participating in the men’s 3000-meter run, men’s 4×400-meter relay and women’s 400-meter dash.

Senior sprinter Naomi Johnson, who placed third in the women’s 400-meter competition, will sit out this week despite notching a third-place finish in the same event at the Big Ten Indoor championships.

And rest may be key to unlocking the next door, illuminating Johnson’s season aspirations.

“I have very big goals in this season,” Johnson said. ” I’d love to come out as a conference champion, and whatever I set foot on and for Big Tens. And I’d love to make it to Nationals and individually, … definitely for senior season, going as far as I possibly can honestly.”

Like Johnson, coach Joanna Hayes returned from the Tyson Invitational and Husky Classic, recognizing that each athlete was committed to breaking new records leading up to next weekend’s Indoor NCAA championships.

The real personal growth does not always depend on one’s individual performance, but more so on how an athlete competes, Hayes said.

“It’s easy to go in a race or competition where you know you can win, easily, right?” Hayes said. “It’s another thing to go into a competition where you’re against people who, on paper, have done more than you and are much better than you, and now you have to figure out how to change your mindset into competing with that.”

Upperclassmen and returning Bruins are not the only ones who share this understanding of the nonnegotiable responsibilities.

Through Hayes’ coaching and senior mentorship, freshmen have adapted to the Bruin’s team culture at the collegiate level.

“I’m really proud of myself. … I’ve made huge improvements personally since high school,” Sagiraju said. “Being in that wildbeat with some of the top milers in the nation … it was nice to get slapped in the face and see how much better some people are compared to you.”

Approaching this transition, freshmen may apply their newfound self-reflections to grow this weekend in a new environment at the collegiate level.