This post was updated Jan. 11 at 11:53 p.m.
Recovery from a torn ACL can take up to nine months.
It can take up to six months to even start walking normally again.
It also means a sudden halt to most forms of physical activity. For senior Sara Ulias, it meant missing out on nearly two whole years of NCAA gymnastics.
Ulias tore her ACL in February 2022 after being a mainstay in the bars lineup for No. 12 UCLA gymnastics during her sophomore campaign. The Thousand Oaks local boasts a career-high 9.925 on the event and has also appeared in the floor and vault lineups for the Bruins.
“It was a devastating injury,” Ulias said. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is a big bump in the road, and it’s not exactly what I imagined for my collegiate career.'”
During the recovery process, Ulias added that she relied on support from her coaches and teammates to get through the hard days. Being sidelined during practice and competitions, Ulias had no other choice but to step into a new role.
“When you’re injured, your role looks different,” said coach Janelle McDonald. “You’re not going to physically be doing gymnastics, but you can still add to the team in a million different ways by supporting your teammates. Being that person that’s in their corner, bringing energy, helping with wherever they can.”
Graduate student Margzetta Frazier also has experienced her fair share of injuries. The reigning NCAA fourth-place finisher on floor is currently dealing with her own ankle injury and also sustained a season-ending injury at the first meet of the season in 2022.
Despite Frazier’s wealth of experience, she praised Ulias for helping her through her injury.
“Watching her come back from her injury really motivates me to come back from my injury,” Frazier said. “If anything, she’s teaching me how to do that. I’m learning from her. She’s been the one helping me stay calm, staying strong, reminding me what I’m capable of.”
Despite a severe injury – one that cut the collegiate careers short of LSU’s Alyona Shchennikova and Georgia’s Rachael Lukas – Ulias never considered stepping away from the sport.
“It’s been really hard, but I never considered walking away,” Ulias said. “I definitely took in the challenge, and I think I’m coming out a lot stronger than I was beforehand.”
Ulias made her return to competition this past weekend at the Mean Girls Super 16 meet in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The senior exhibitioned a bars routine that scored a 9.775, punctuated by a floaty double layout dismount. In her last full season with the Bruins, Ulias competed on the event nine times, scoring above 9.900 twice.
With time, Ulias is expected to return as a staple in the bars lineup.
“The main fear was just reaching the level that I was before I got injured and wanting to meet those expectations for myself,” Ulias said. “It took some time getting the dismount back, and I can now say that I’m very confident in it.”
In her final season with the Bruins, Ulias could make an impact in one of the most competitive meets of the season.
Up against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 2 Utah and No. 5 LSU, the senior said she is motivated.
“We haven’t had a quad meet to this caliber, so I think we’re all super motivated,” Ulias said. “I think we’re in really good shape, and we’re all really excited.”
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