Ciena Alipio emerging as key piece in UCLA’s championship push
Going into her senior year, Ciena Alipio wanted to be as present as possible and learn to trust herself during each competition.
She set goals for herself and a bigger goal for the UCLA gymnastics team. With the first box checked after clinching its second straight Big Ten title, the work to meet each of its standards has only just begun.
“You see the result of every hard practice we have,” Alipio said after Friday’s win over Maryland. “We work and we do what we absolutely have to do every day in the gym and I think it’s just about putting everything together on the same day.”
After an undefeated conference season, Alipio not only transformed herself into a three-event fixture on the roster, but she was among 45 nominees for the 2026 AAI Award along with teammate Jordan Chiles – an NCAA honor given to the season’s most outstanding senior gymnast.
“She’s one of those athletes who is really willing to do whatever it takes to be at her best for the team, and she’s an incredibly hard worker,” coach Janelle McDonald said. “She puts her heart into everything she does and she truly has a growth mindset that she carries into every aspect of her life.”
During the first three years of her college career, Alipio was known as a balance beam expert. This fact has not changed, except that now she has added success to the uneven bars and floor exercises.
She is currently ranked No. 4 in the country on the beam and leads the team with six individual titles in the event. Against Nebraska in January, Alipio led the game in floor drills. En route to another Big Ten title, she showed consistency by completing all 23 of her routines without falling.
Alipio averages over 9.800 on beam, bars and floor exercises. The two-time All-American on beam has been named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week three times this season for her high performances on multiple apparatus.
McDonald describes the Big Ten beam champion as a steady leader who leads by example, someone who is willing to put her head down and push herself to improve — a valuable asset to any team.
“To see someone always trying to show up and improve with that growth mindset is so great,” she said. “Ciena has really improved her leadership in that she is someone who continually checks in on people. »
When Alipio notices someone needs a little pick-me-up, she’s there to support them, McDonald added.
“She has also become a great messenger of our team culture and quite simply [continues] to build and strengthen our culture where needed and to step up in times when the team needs a leader.
UCLA gymnast Ciena Alipio celebrates with teammate Jordan Chiles after completing a routine on the balance beam.
(Jesus Ramirez / UCLA Athletics)
With two games remaining in the regular season – against Stanford on Saturday and Utah on March 14, Senior Night at Pauley Pavilion – Alipio is simply going to have fun competing.
“Coming into freshman year, I was like, ‘Oh, I have so much time,’ and now it’s gone in the blink of an eye,” she said. “…But I’m really, really trying to stay present for the next few weeks and enjoy every moment with this team.”
Rosen update
McDonald and the coaching staff will take a conservative approach to Katelyn Rosen’s foot injury sustained during Friday’s game. Resting her and making sure she is 100% ready for the Big Ten Championships is the priority. Replacing her at the top of the rotations is an ongoing conversation.
“We’re really looking for that lead to be very steady,” she said. “Someone who doesn’t adjust to the ups and downs of their emotions. They can show up, be very steady, start the event very aggressively, with confidence and so those things we’re going to be looking for this weekend. [against Stanford].”
