When it comes to the big stage, Bruins are no strangers.
But representing an entire nation doesn’t come without intense preparation.
Two years out from the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, UCLA athletes and coaches across eras of Westwood history are gearing up to showcase their skills to the world.
Forty-nine Bruins competed in the 2024 games in Paris, gathering 14 medals across seven different sports. With UCLA racking up a total of 284 Olympic medals, 2028 will be another opportunity to bolster the historic Bruin legacy.
[Related: Graphic: Bruins’ performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics]
Miles Partain, who played for the UCLA men’s volleyball for three years, stepped away from the team in 2023 to pursue a spot on the United States Olympic Beach Volleyball Team and eventually earned a place as one of those 49 Bruins at the Paris games. Partain made this Olympic debut at 22 years old, becoming the youngest U.S. beach volleyball player in Olympic history. For the Pacific Palisades local, playing at the Olympic level took some adjusting to.
“I’ve heard people play at 80% or 70% as well as they typically can at the Olympics because the pressure is higher,” Partain s. “It’s the biggest part of our sport, and there are a lot more eyeballs.”
[Related: Former Bruin Miles Partain makes Olympics as youngest US beach volleyball player]
While Partain and his partner, Andrew Benesh, tied for fifth and failed to medal in 2024, Partain now has his sights set on the LA Olympics.
And preparation begins before even stepping foot on the sand.
For the former MPSF Player of the Year and AVCA First Team All-American, getting his body and movements in shape is the first step toward an elite Olympic performance.
“I have to get the right people around me, especially from a biomechanics and training perspective,” Partain said. “If I can improve my physical qualities, like my vertical jump, I think I could make (the Olympics). But of course, those things need to be in place.”
Several of Partain’s fellow UCLA men’s volleyball alumni – including a few of his former teammates – recently competed with the indoor U.S. squad at the 2026 FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League and could be eyeing roster spots for the LA Olympics.
Former UCLA setter Micah Maʻa, who produced some notable performances at the 2026 VNL, was part of the bronze medal-earning U.S. men’s volleyball team at the Paris Olympics. Ma’a set the UCLA single-season record with 67 aces in his final year with the program in 2019 and now has another shot at representing his country on the big stage.
Playing alongside Maʻa at the VNL were former Bruins middle blocker Merrick McHenry and outside hitters Ethan Champlin and Cooper Robinson. Champlin, a three-time AVCA First Team All-American while in Westwood, raked in a total of 27 kills and 17 digs across the Americans’ first three matches of the tournament. McHenry added to the offensive production, posting 18 kills across a four-match stretch. Robinson, on the other hand, played a more limited role throughout the tournament.
With none of the three competing for the U.S. at the Paris games, they will now have a shot at making their Olympic Games debuts in 2028.
The current Team USA volleyball roster also features athletes less removed from their careers in Westwood. Former Bruin setter Andrew Rowan, outside hitter Zach Rama and middle blocker Cameron Thorne – who all played their final season at UCLA in 2026 – could also move up the ranks with the national team to potentially see action in two years.
U.S. men’s water polo has experienced a similar roster shake-up, now boasting more Bruin representation than it did at the Paris Olympics. The national squad features eight Bruins – past and present – who will compete to make the final cut for 2028.
The group most recently competed in a month-long exhibition series against three opposing nations, which concluded July 12. Taking to the pool during the seven-match showcase were former Bruin attackers Chase Dodd, Nicolas Saveljic and Max Irving and utility Jack Larsen. All of them were national champions during their time in Westwood and will now compete to bring that glory to the American side.
[Related: Pro Bruin Rundown: Bruin volleyball, water polo stars shine on the international stage]
And four more current Bruins have earned spots on the national team. Senior utility Ben Liechty, as well as juniors attacker Ryder Dodd and utilities Peter Castillo and Bode Brinkema, will join the pursuit of representing the red, white and blue in 2028.
Yet it isn’t just experienced Bruins looking to the LA Games but also up-and-coming stars.
That is the case for Zoey Molomo, who will join UCLA gymnastics for the 2027 season. At just 15 years old, Molomo made her senior national team debut for the U.S. at the 2024 Winter Cup and could not have been prouder to represent her country.
“It means everything to me,” Molomo said. “It’s probably one of the greatest honors I’ll ever have in my life. Putting on your Team USA jacket and going out there, it’s so special. You realize that you’re coming together for something way bigger than yourself, and you’re supporting something so much greater than you.”
The Plano, Texas, local most recently put on a show at the 2026 American Classic. She achieved an all-around total of 52.700 and earned the second-highest scores of the meet on the vault and floor exercises, finishing third on uneven bars and sixth on balance beam.
While she may have to become acquainted with Westwood before focusing on the Olympics, Molomo still has the goal of making the games.
“I have to, right?” Molomo said when asked about whether she is looking to compete in 2028. “It’s in our backyard. I want to take everything one at a time and pace myself, but ultimately, that would be incredible to make a run and go as far as I can.”
Molomo narrowly missed the opportunity to be UCLA teammates with 2026 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and 23-time All-American Jordan Chiles, but the two could don Team USA jackets together in LA should Chiles compete in her third Olympic Games.
In her senior season with the Bruins, Chiles won her second career NCAA floor exercise title and her fourth NCAA title overall, posting a 9.9750 at the NCAA championships. The Houston local led Team USA to a team silver medal at the 2020 Olympics before earning Olympic team gold and floor bronze in 2024. While Chiles was initially stripped of her Paris bronze because of an alleged late judging inquiry, her case was reopened earlier this year for the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reexamine its decision.
[Related: Despite Jordan Chiles’ floor title, semifinal loss finishes UCLA gymnastics season]
While she has not made a decision yet regarding her participation in the LA Games, Chiles is still holding the door open for a possible Olympic return, according to Forbes.
And Bruin coaches are just as decorated at the Olympic level.
Jenny Johnson Jordan recently completed her third season as head coach of UCLA beach volleyball, having been with the team for 10 years prior to taking the lead. Under her guidance, the Bruins won their third national championship in 2026 after a sweep of No. 1 seed Stanford in the title match.
[Related: UCLA beach volleyball secures 3rd national championship after besting Stanford]
Similar to Partain, Johnson Jordan took to the beach after her collegiate career with UCLA women’s volleyball, displaying her skills at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics.
Johnson Jordan placed fifth in beach volleyball at the games alongside her partner, former Bruin Annett Davis. She was also an alternate at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and it was in that year that she and Davis became the second team in the world to compete in 100 events together.
“Beach volleyball is a very athlete-driven sport at the pro level,” Johnson Jordan said. “When Annett and I qualified, we were basically our own bosses. We’re hiring our own coaches, and we’re deciding when we’re going to train. The Olympic experience is more similar to the high school experience, where you can play in whatever tournaments you want with whatever partners you want.”
Abby Van Winkle and Lexy Denaburg, two former Bruins whose collegiate careers came to an end in 2023, were beneficiaries of Johnson Jordan’s coaching during their time in Westwood. The two are currently part of the U.S. beach volleyball squad and could represent the nation in two years.
And while Johnson Jordan is not currently coaching at the national level, several Olympic coaching staffs in 2028 will feature some of Westwood’s finest.
Both the U.S. men’s and women’s volleyball squads have Bruins at the helm. Erik Sullivan, who won two national championships with UCLA men’s volleyball in 1993 and 1995, was named the head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2025.
He will have Brandon Taliaferro, who was a standout setter with UCLA men’s volleyball from 1996-2000 before returning to join the program’s staff, as an assistant coach.
Sullivan succeeded former head coach Karch Kiraly, who guided the squad to three Olympic medals and a World Championship title during his tenure. Kiraly – another UCLA men’s volleyball alumnus – won three titles of his own from 1979-82 and is now the head honcho of the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Joining the two at the LA Games will be Adam Krikorian, who has served as head coach of the U.S. women’s water polo team since 2009.
Krikorian captained the UCLA men’s water polo team in his final year with the group in 1995, helping capture the program’s first national title in 23 years. During his time with the women’s national team so far, Krikorian has led the squad to three Olympic gold medals and six World Aquatics Championships titles.
Whether on the playing or coaching side, the LA Games will have no shortage of Bruin representation.
“It’s so exciting that campus is going to be buzzing with Olympic athletes, and that’s going to be their home,” Johnson Jordan said. “We’re going to get exposure to all these really cool experiences and events that, as a city and a campus, we haven’t had since 1984. I’m looking forward to watching all the Bruins that make Olympic teams get the opportunity to compete.”
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