The 2018 NCAA gymnastics season is still months away, but it's never too early to get to know the incoming freshman class for each team. Here's a breakdown of the new additions UCLA has made for next year.

UCLA had plenty of talent during the 2017 seasons and really excelled on both uneven bars and balance beam. The Bruins struggled most on vault, where a lack of 10.0 start values really hurt the squad. UCLA will get Peng Peng Lee back for a sixth year after she successfully petitioned for an additional season. The Bruins finished fourth at nationals where they had just one vault starting from a 10.0 -- a Yurchenko one and a half from Napualani Hall, which wasn't always consistent.

Outgoing: Angi Cipra, Mikaela Gerber, Hallie Mossett
Compared to other teams at the Super Six, UCLA loses a minimal number of routines in its lineup. The Bruins lose Mikaela Gerber, though, and will need a new lead-off competitor on balance beam. They tried Sonya Meraz in that role during the middle of the season when Gerber was injured, so that could be a slot filled. Mossett competed on balance beam for part of the season and her unique routine will be missed. Cipra missed part of the year with injury and didn't break back into the lineup until midway through the season. With several athletes returning from injury, competition for the six spots in the lineup on each event will be fierce.

Incoming: Nia Dennis, Pauline Tratz

Nia Dennis

Naperville, Illinois
Trains at Legacy Elite Gymnastics
Coached by Jiani Wu

Dennis was one of the brightest up-and-coming U.S. elites in 2015 and early in 2016. She suffered a tear in her Achilles tendon in February 2016. Dennis competed just on uneven bars at the P&G Championships in late June where she finished eighth. She finished ninth in the all-around and tied for fourth on balance beam at the 2015 P&G Championships in her first senior nationals. A talented junior elite, Dennis was the national champion on vault and floor in 2014 and finished second in the all-around and third on uneven bars. She spent the 2017 season competing as a level 10. She was the Illinois state champion in the all-around and on all four events in early March. She earned the Region 5 title in the all-around just weeks later where she again swept the four event titles. Dennis was the J.O. National all-around champion in the Senior F division where she finished second on beam, fourth on floor, tied for sixth on bars, and tied for eighth on vault.

Video courtesy of USA Gymnastics

Impact events: Vault and uneven bars

Pauline Tratz

Karlsruhe, Germany
Trains at TSV Rintheim/Karlsruhe Gymnastics
Coached by Tatjana Bachmayer and Sascha Munker

Tratz brings plenty of international experience to the Bruins. The 18-year-old competed at both the 2015 world championships in Glasgow and the 2016 Test Event in Rio. She began her senior international career at the Cottbus World Challenge Cup in March 2015 where she qualified for the vault event final and finished fifth. At the 2015 European Championships she advanced to the all-around final and landed in 18th. At her country's national championships, she earned a silver and bronze on vault and floor respectively. She competed at the Test Event in 2016 where she helped Germany finish second and qualify a full team for the 2016 Olympic Games.

Video courtesy of FIG Channel

Impact events: Vault and floor

Also slated to join the Bruins in the fall are Rebecca Karlous, Savannah Kooyman, Kendal Poston, and Sofia Gonzalez.

Kooyman attended the 2017 Region 1 championships where she finished ninth in the all-around, including a sixth-place finish on uneven bars. She tied for the Southern California all-around title at the state level where she took gold on both bars and floor. Poston competed at J.O. nationals for the second straight year. She was fourth in the all-around at Region 1 championships where her best finishes were on balance beam (second) and floor exercise (third).