A baker refines a recipe.

An engineer designs hundreds of models.

A collegiate gymnast practices on beam over and over again.

All of them in pursuit of one thing: perfection.

The journey to perfection this season has been familiar to senior Ciena Alipio and Bruin fans, with each near-flawless routine bringing her closer to another perfect 10 on beam.

Early this season, Alipio came close – posting a season-high 9.975 on Jan. 17 before stringing together five 9.950s and winning the event seven times.

But it only takes one routine to change the trajectory.

Alipio faced that setback at the Big Ten championships – exactly a year after earning a career-first perfect 10 and securing the Big Ten beam title – scoring a 9.050 after losing her balance following her acrobatic series and falling off the beam, resulting in her first sub-9.900 mark of the season.

“I definitely was beating myself up more than anybody was, really making a big deal about it,” Alipio said. “Stepping away from Big Tens, I was very upset, disappointed, whatever you want to call it. … It was a lot of internal pressure. I had a lot of expectations for myself.”

Although her score was dropped from the Bruins’ beam total, Alipio added that the mistake motivated her to complete extra reps on the apparatus in practice.

The four-time United States national team member said performance and her mistakes had an impact on her that was noticeable not just to her, but also to her entire team.

“Ciena is such an experienced competitor,” coach Janelle McDonald said. “And at this point in her career, she knows that mistakes happen, and unfortunately, it happened in a moment that she was really looking forward to doing her best. But I think that also was a great lesson for her, too.”

Fortunately for Alipio, her support system didn’t let her spiral.

Assistant coach Lacy Dagen, who oversees beam, stepped in with guidance after what Alipio described as a hiccup at the Big Ten championships.

“One of the last few things she (Dagen) tells me before I get up on the beam is ‘Sparkle sparkle,’” Alipio said. “And I went up to her one day, and I was like, ‘It just feels like all of my skills have lost their sparkle.'”

Alipio said Dagen wanted her to clear her mind entirely, shifting her focus from overthinking to trusting the routines she had done countless times before.

Jordan Chiles also had words of encouragement for her fellow senior.

“She (Chiles) was like, ‘Things happen for a reason. You got it out now, you know yourself,’” Alipio said. “‘We still won Big Tens. This is why we get to put up six and only have to count five scores. … The team had your back. You’ve had the entire team’s back this whole season, it’s going to be okay.’”

And it was.

At the regional semifinal April 3, Alipio wobbled on her acrobatic series but stayed on the beam. Although her 9.750 mark was not counted in the squad’s beam total and was her second-lowest tally of the season, Alipio was anything but disappointed.

“I got off the beam, and I was really happy with the routine, and I looked at Lacy, and I was like, ‘I needed that,’” Alipio said. “I needed to just go out there and compete again and … do it in a pressure setting again and feel good about the routine.”

By the regional semifinal April 5, Alipio returned to form, notching a 9.925 that helped the Bruins surge to their 25th regional title.

With that mindset, Alipio and the Bruins now turn to the NCAA semifinals Thursday.