UCLA gymnastics head coach Janelle McDonald made an important phone call on the day that the school announced its move to the Big Ten Conference.
“I got on a call with the head coach at Utah at the time and said, ‘We need to keep this West Coast thing going,’” McDonald recalled.
The No. 4 Bruins’ departure from the Pac-12 has brought many changes, but the gymnastics program was determined to keep its longstanding rivalry with No. 5 Utah going, and it continues at 6 p.m. Saturday in Salt Lake City.
Even though UCLA is one of the most decorated college gymnastics programs with seven national championships and 20 Pac-12 Conference titles, the Bruins have a 14-40 record against the Red Rocks.
UCLA is currently on a 13-meet win streak and bettered Utah in the 2024 Sprouts Collegiate Quad but hasn’t beaten its rival in a dual meet since 2019 – Valorie Kondos Field’s final season as head coach.
“It’s definitely a long-standing rivalry,” McDonald said. “It’s two strong teams coming from the same conference for so many years. There’s a desire to show up and compete well and and to go after the win.”
The rivalry will continue for at least one more season, since the teams agreed to compete in Utah this year and at UCLA next time around.
The decision to make this the final meet of the regular season was intentional. The Bruins are averaging 9,185 fans at home meets and 7,336 on the road, with a season-high home attendance of 12,918 people for last week’s meet against Stanford.
Saturday will be Utah’s Senior Meet and almost guarantees a high-energy crowd that will prepare the Bruins for the Big Ten Championships, which are slated for the following week.
“When you go to (NCAA) regionals and you’ve got qualifying for nationals on the line, there’s really good teams in the room with you,” McDonald said. “You want to be focused on the things that you need to do to be the best that you can be in that moment.
“And I think this weekend’s going to be a perfect time for us to practice doing just that.”
UCLA and Utah are separated by the slimmest of margins in the national rankings. The Bruins’ national qualifying score is 197.600, while Utah’s is 197.515. In terms of average meet scores, UCLA edges Utah 197.290-197.280.
The Red Rocks are ranked in the top 10 nationally in all four events and Grace McCallum is the top gymnast in the country on uneven bars, No. 7 on beam and No. 8 in the all-around. She was also a teammate of Jordan Chiles’ at the 2020 Olympics.
The Bruins can leverage their skill in floor exercise – they’re ranked second on floor as a team and Chiles is the No. 1 individual on floor. UCLA is also in the top nine nationally in all events.
Vault has been a point of emphasis this week, especially when it comes to landings. McDonald also noted that freshman Riley Jenkins, who has appeared competitively on vault three times this season, could work her way back into the lineup if she remains consistent and has quality landings during training.
Chae Campbell and Chiles have been some of the most consistent vaulters and have dipped below a 9.8 score only once this season.
Balancing individual corrections with group adjustments is a delicate process during a part of the season when the national qualifying score is hanging in the balance.
“Each and every day, we’re really trying to individualize the practice to what each person needs because at the end of the day, they go out there one at a time,” McDonald said. “But as a whole, there are things that as a team you can set goals for. You want to be a part of that moment when your team puts it together.”
No. 4 UCLA (13-2) at No. 5 UTAH (11-4)
When: 6 p.m. Saturday
Where: Jon M. Huntsman Center, Salt Lake City
TV: FOX