Ciena Alipio Emerging As Key Piece In Ucla’s Championship Push

Coming into her elder year, Ciena Alipio wanted to beryllium arsenic coming arsenic humanly imaginable and study really to spot herself going into each competition.

She group distant goals for herself and a bigger 1 for nan UCLA gymnastics team. With nan first container checked aft clinching their 2nd consecutive Big Ten title, nan activity toward gathering each of her standards is conscionable beginning.

“You’re seeing nan consequence of each difficult believe that we’re having,” Alipio said aft Friday’s triumph complete Maryland. “We’re putting successful activity and we’re doing what we perfectly person to each azygous time successful nan gym and I deliberation it’s conscionable putting it each together connected nan aforesaid day.”

After an unbeaten convention season, Alipio has not only transformed herself into a three-event staple successful nan lineup, she was among nan 45 nominees for nan 2026 AAI Award on pinch her teammate Jordan Chiles — an NCAA grant that is fixed to nan astir outstanding elder female gymnast of nan season.

“She’s conscionable 1 of those athletes that’s really consenting to do immoderate it takes to beryllium astatine her champion for nan team, and she’s an incredibly difficult worker,” coach Janelle McDonald said. “She puts her bosom into everything she does and she really has a maturation mentality that she takes into each facet of her life.”

During nan first 3 years of her assemblage career, Alipio was known arsenic a equilibrium beam expert. That truth hasn’t changed, isolated from now she added occurrence connected nan uneven bars and nan level exercise.

She’s presently classed No. 4 successful nan federation connected beam and leads nan squad pinch six individual titles successful nan event. Against Nebraska successful January, Alipio led nan meet successful nan level exercise. On her measurement to different Big Ten title, she has shown consistency by hitting each 23 of her routines without a fall.

Alipio is averaging a people supra 9.800 connected beam, bars and level exercise. The two-time first-team All-American connected beam has been named Big Ten arena master of nan week 3 times this play for her precocious performances connected aggregate apparatuses.

McDonald describes nan Big Ten equilibrium beam champion arsenic a dependable leader who leads by example, personification who’s consenting to put her caput down and spell done nan grind to get amended — a valuable plus to immoderate team.

“To spot personification ever trying to show up and get amended pinch that maturation mindset is truthful great,” she said. “Ciena really has leveled up successful her activity successful that she’s personification that continually checks successful connected people.”

When Alipio notices personification needs a small pick-me-up, she’s location to support them, McDonald added.

“She’s besides conscionable go a really awesome messenger of our squad civilization and conscionable [continues] to build and tighten our civilization wherever it’s needed and to measurement up successful those moments erstwhile nan squad needs a leader.”

UCLA gymnast Ciena Alipio celebrates pinch teammate Jordan Chiles aft completing a equilibrium beam routine.

(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)

With 2 meets near successful nan regular play — against Stanford connected Saturday and Utah connected March 14, elder nighttime astatine Pauley Pavilion — Alipio is conscionable going to person nosy competing.

“Coming successful arsenic a freshman I was like, ‘Oh, I person truthful overmuch time,’ and now it has gone by successful a blink of an eye,” she said. “… But I’m really, really trying to conscionable enactment coming for nan adjacent fewer weeks and conscionable bask each azygous infinitesimal pinch this team.”

Rosen update

McDonald and nan coaching unit will return a blimpish attack to dealing pinch Katelyn Rosen’s ft wounded from Friday’s meet. Resting her and making judge she is 100% to spell for nan Big Ten championships is nan priority. Replacing her astatine nan apical of rotations is an ongoing conversation.

“We really look for that lead-off to beryllium very steady,” she said. “Somebody that doesn’t benignant of spell pinch nan ups and downs of their emotions. They tin show up, beryllium really steady, footwear disconnected nan arena really aggressively, confidently and truthful those things we’re gonna beryllium looking for this play [against Stanford].”