Katelyn Rosen’s Comeback Season Is No Accident - It’s Built on Grit, Reps, and Leadership
LOS ANGELES - A year ago, Katelyn Rosen’s season hit a wall. Call it a slump, a spiral, or just plain tough luck - whatever you want to name it, it wasn’t the sophomore campaign she had envisioned.
Fast forward to now, and Rosen is back in a big way. And make no mistake - this resurgence didn’t happen by chance.
Let’s rewind for a moment. Early last season, Rosen looked like she was on track.
She was coming off two strong 9.9 scores and had momentum heading into Week 3. But during her floor routine on Jan. 18, things took a turn.
After nailing her first two passes, she under-rotated her final tumbling pass - a back layout 1.5 into a front tuck - and hit the mat. It was only the second time in her college career that she had fallen on any event.
The next week didn’t go much better. She dismounted early from the balance beam and posted a score below 9.0 - something that had never happened to her at the collegiate level.
What followed was a month-long stretch on the sidelines, with only the occasional exhibition routine to stay sharp. It wasn’t until late March that Rosen rejoined the competitive lineup, eventually working her way into three-event duties during both NCAA Championship meets.
That kind of season - full of stops, starts, and self-doubt - left a mark. Rosen herself called it a “spiral,” and she was determined not to let history repeat itself.
So she stayed in Westwood over the summer. While many athletes took time to rest or travel, Rosen went to work. Day in and day out, she was in the gym, drilling the basics, sharpening her routines, and rebuilding the confidence that had wavered the season before.
“I have to say, I was in the gym almost every single weekday,” Rosen said this week, ahead of No. 9 UCLA’s home opener against Nebraska at Pauley Pavilion. “After having the start of the sophomore season that I did, I did not want to repeat that again, so I really committed to keeping, like, almost routine-level - keeping my parts locked in and really focusing on the basics so that I could build a really strong foundation for my third year.”
That foundation is already showing signs of strength. Through the first two meets of the season, Rosen has joined Olympic medalist Jordan Chiles as the only Bruins to compete in the all-around both times. That’s no small feat on a UCLA squad that’s loaded with talent and depth.
Vault, in particular, has been a point of emphasis. Rosen spent countless hours over the summer with assistant coach Mark Freeman, fine-tuning her Yurchenko 1½ - a high-difficulty vault with a 10.0 start value. It’s one of several vaults in the Bruins’ arsenal that could hit perfection on any given night, and Rosen knew she wanted to be part of that mix.
“I can’t tell you how many private (training sessions) I had of just me and Mark on vault,” Rosen said.
So far, it’s paying off. She’s posted scores of 9.8 or better on both of her vaults this season, a strong return to form and a sign that her offseason work is translating under the lights.
And it’s not just the scores - it’s the presence. Rosen has become a steadying force for UCLA, both in the gym and in competition. Head coach Janelle McDonald called her the “pulse” of the team during preseason, and that energy has carried into January.
“Having (Rosen) be a leader and an example in those roles is just, it’s so beneficial,” McDonald said. “And I think it’s definitely the energy we want to carry into each event. She brings that for us.”
Her teammates are taking notice, too. Chiles, who’s off to a red-hot start herself - back-to-back Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors and the nation’s top all-around score - said watching Rosen’s bounce-back has been inspiring.
“You’re going to learn from it, and you’re also going to thrive for a minute,” Chiles said. “So I definitely can say that Kate did that. I’m very proud of her that now she’s in this all-around position that she can just dominate in how she wants to dominate.”
Rosen’s not just competing - she’s leading. Younger gymnasts like Tiana Sumanasekera and Ashlee Sullivan are watching her example closely. She’s showing them what it looks like to struggle, regroup, and come back stronger.
And now, as UCLA gets set to host Nebraska at Pauley Pavilion, Rosen is right where she wants to be - healthy, confident, and locked into every event.
The struggles of last season? They’re not forgotten.
They’re fuel. And Rosen’s using every ounce of it to make sure this season tells a different story.
NEBRASKA AT UCLA
📍 Where: Pauley Pavilion
🕒 When: Saturday, 3 p.m. PT