UCLA gymnastics finding its groove on the beam thanks to new secret weapon
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Brooklyn Moors battled a classic case of the yips. Call it a hurdle to jump over or an obstacle to conquer — the Canadian graduate student said she couldn’t “flip backward.”
“It’s tough because if you haven’t been through a mental block, such as going backward in gymnastics, it’s very hard to understand,” Moors said.
Enter the Bruins’ new beam coach, Lacy Dagen. Three weeks into the 2025 campaign, Moors is now comfortably executing the back handspring as a part of her beam series, earning co-Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week honors, and No. 8 UCLA gymnastics — a team traditionally known for its aptitude on floor, not beam — is third-ranked in the event heading into Saturday afternoon’s home opener against Illinois.
“Lacy was honestly the best decision to this team we could have ever even had,” said Moors, who scored a season-high 9.850 on beam last week en route to the best beam score in the nation so far: 49.550. “We trust her for everything. She trusts us, and we built this great connection. I love going to beam every day — never thought I’d say that.”
Brooklyn Moors puts in strong performances on the balance beam and floor exercise for UCLA and Jordan Chiles earns strong marks on bars and vault.
It wasn’t too long ago that Dagen was a college gymnast, squaring off against the Bruins at Pauley Pavilion. Whether it was when coach Janelle McDonald first met Dagen a teenager in club gymnastics or when Dagen was a student-athlete for Oregon State — as a beam and vault specialist who graduated in 2021 — McDonald kept an eye on Dagen’s building achievements.
Dagen helped United States gold medalist Jade Carey succeed on beam as a volunteer coach with the Beavers in 2023, and a year later helped Arizona State secure a top-20 ranking on beam as an assistant at Arizona State.
When UCLA had an opening for a new coach, McDonald turned to the 27-year-old to fill the role.
“She has a lot of experience as a student-athlete, and we were really excited to bring that in because I felt like she’s really relatable,” McDonald said. “[Beam has] become a really high energy, but also competitive workout on beam for us. I think that’s really what we were missing with our consistency last year, is just having that energy where they’re fighting for the spot in the lineup.”
Since the Bruins’ rocky season opener in Oceanside, when UCLA scored their lowest total team score since McDonald took over as head coach, only two routines have been scored below 9.850 on beam. Seven of those 12 routines sit at 9.900 or higher, with senior Emma Malabuyo’s 9.975 against Maryland ranking as UCLA’s highest individual score on the event.
Moors pointed to Dagen as a support system for her on beam as she works on overcoming her mental blocks and helping the team adjust to Big Ten travel. But Moors has also become a support system for others on the team, gaining a new title on the team: “Mom.”
“They call me the mom,” Moors said of the five-gymnast freshman class. “They’re all like my little sisters, or my children… I’ll do anything I can, whether it’s on a really hard day, or anything in and out of the gym — any advice I could give them — all I want to do is pass on all of my knowledge to them so they can lead the team for the next years to come.”
The freshman class highlighted by Macy McGowan, competing in three events at all three meets, could see increased inclusion in lineups as the Bruins move from road meets to the friendlier confines of Pauley Pavilion.
UCLA also announced on Wednesday that Saturday’s meet will have a greater purpose. UCLA Health is covering more than 1,000 tickets for people affected by the Southern California fires and for first responders.
Josh Lim is UCLA’s gymnastics super fan. The third-year student attends home meets, studies the gymnasts’ routines and is the club team’s president.
The team wore black and red ribbons last week to symbolize support for the Los Angeles Fire Department and Los Angeles County Fire Department. Two weeks ago, four days after the Palisades and Eaton fires began, UCLA gymnasts flashed “LA” hand signals after every routine.
Junior Clara Wren’s father is a former L.A. County Fire Department fire captain.
“We wanted to do something as far as making sure that we can try to bring joy to our community,” McDonald said. “Being able to give tickets in a time that’s pretty tough for people could put a smile on their faces and help them have a great time and hopefully enjoy the show.”
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