The weight of expectations hung on Katelyn Rosen’s shoulders.

Rosen was fresh off a freshman campaign at UCLA in which she earned All Pac-12 honors, often competed in the all-around and filled a void while Jordan Chiles prepared for the Paris Olympics, but January tested her like never before.

A gymnast who proudly embodies a character while she competes — like her “Dark Witch” persona — in order to focus in and perform in the moment, Rosen hit a roadblock, unable to break through on two of her signature events.

“I am someone who’s gonna spiral,” said Rosen, now a sophomore for the Bruins, who are seeded fifth in the second round of NCAA regionals in Salt Lake City that begins Thursday at noon PT.

Uncharacteristic routine hiccups pushed Rosen out of UCLA’s lineups for the first time. First, she underrotated a back layout 1.5 into a front tuck on her final floor routine pass, almost falling to the floor in Maryland and securing a large score deduction. A week later, in the Bruins’ home debut against Illinois, she dismounted early during a beam routine, scoring below a 9 for the first time in her career.

Rosen, cheerful, saluted the judges after that beam routine. Seconds later, her smile sank. Rosen buried herself into assistant coach Lacy Dagen’s arms. The sophomore slump, that so many of her teammates had warned her about, had begun, Rosen said.