The Bruins will be on the road again this weekend after getting off to a quick start in their season opener.
No. 6 UCLA gymnastics will head to West Valley City, Utah, to face No. 19 Minnesota, No. 25 Washington and Boise State in session one of the inaugural Wasatch Classic hosted at the Maverik Center on Saturday afternoon. The Bruins’ upcoming trip will mark their last meet before kicking off their Pac-12 campaign next week.
Coach Janelle McDonald said she is excited about this weekend’s competition, noting how early quad meets like the Wasatch Classic will prepare her team for competition down the line.
“I think these are really great opportunities to be out with really great teams and compete against some of the best in the country,” McDonald said. “It really helps us see where we’re at and where we can keep growing and learning.”
Coming off the team’s success at the Super 16 last week, in which UCLA set its highest season-opening score in 18 years, McDonald expressed how the Bruins’ start to the year has fired up her team.
That has been apparent in practices leading up to the weekend in Utah, McDonald said, as she stressed how the team has showcased its determination to keep growing and building off last week’s performance.
“They’ve been really intentional in the gym, really working hard on some of the small details,” McDonald said. “Our conversation this week is just to keep building on what we started in Las Vegas and trying to show consistent and clean gymnastics.”
Sophomores Emily Lee and Ana Padurariu said they are looking forward to providing exactly that for the Bruins this year, as they both figure to be key contributors for UCLA this weekend and throughout the season.
Last weekend’s meet highlighted that, as Lee competed on vault, bars and beam, while Padurariu provided a 9.850 on bars for the Bruins – and could be back in the beam rotation for UCLA shortly.
Lee said her return this season has been monumental since missing all of her freshman season with an Achilles tendon injury.
“Coming back has been everything,” Lee said. “It’s been a long road, … so to go out there and feel great competing, it’s a really refreshing feeling.”
The Wasatch Classic, much like the Super 16, will provide the Bruins with the opportunity to keep growing and gaining confidence, which is a goal that Padurariu said the team is excited to tackle.
“We have the talent, we have the skill, we’ve put in the work. So just trusting ourselves and doing what we can is what’s going to make us great,” Padurariu said.
Session one of the Wasatch Classic will begin Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Maverik Center.
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