UCLA gymnastics landed its first transfer of the offseason Monday.
Rising senior Alilah Alvarado announced her move from Provo, Utah, to Westwood on Instagram. The Rancho Cucamonga, California, local will spend her final season of NCAA eligibility close to home after competing the previous three seasons at BYU.
The 2021 California state high school bars champion was a consistent presence in the Cougars’ bars lineup, posting a 9.845 NQS in 2026 – the team’s second-best mark. She also competed on beam in 19 meets across her sophomore and junior campaigns.
Alvarado’s 2026 beam NQS, also sitting at 9.845, was better than all but one of her teammates.
Coach Jannelle McDonald lost a quartet of gymnasts to graduation, including Ciena Alipio and Olympic gold medalist Jordan Chiles, following the team’s third-place finish in the NCAA semifinals.
Chiles’ 9.950 NQS on bars and 9.955 on beam both led UCLA in 2026. Meanwhile, Alipio, a beam-lineup mainstay, had the team’s second-best NQS at 9.950. Alipio also appeared in the bars lineup eight times – earning a season-high 9.950 Jan. 30.
A better performance on bars in the national semifinals, when they had their fourth-worst showing on the event, may have kept the Bruins’ season alive.
UCLA trailed Minnesota for second place, and a ticket to the title meet, by 0.1875 – with 0.125 being the gap between bar scores alone.
McDonald may also welcome Alvarado’s experience, with her program set to add six incoming freshmen, including five-star recruits Cameron Tassone, Zoey Molomo and Michelle Pineda, come fall, according to College Gym News.
Alvarado’s departure from Provo comes after a 2026 campaign that saw BYU finish third in the Big 12 tournament and third in the second round of NCAA regionals.
