Breaking Down the Top Rated Gymnasts in the Class of 2022

Following the launch of our Recruit Rating system last month, we wanted to celebrate the top recruits in the class of 2022. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many top rated gymnasts are current elites. There are some notable exceptions, though, including Selena Harris, our top rated athlete. College-wise, Florida stands out as the team with the highest number of top recruits: Four 5-star gymnasts will join the Gators in 2022. Among the uncommitted, two 5-star recruits are still looking for a college to call home, as well as six of the top seven 4-stars.

Committed Elites

JaFree Scott, Florida
Current CGN Rating: 84 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

CGN’s second-highest rated gymnast is an elegant athlete who beautifully marries difficulty and execution. With multiple E passes on floor, a standing Arabian on beam and a double-twisting Yurchenko on vault, there is hardly anything Scott can’t do. Gainesville will be packed with talent in the next few years, but she is going to be a star.

Olivia Greaves, Florida
Current CGN Rating: 80 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

The 2019 junior national bars champion is a strong all arounder but excels on bars. She will join a stacked Gator team, but her lines should stand out enough to make her a weekly contender on her pet event.

Ariel Posen, UCLA
Current CGN Rating: 80 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

As with her former MG Elite teammate above, Posen stands out particularly on bars and beam. She will also join an impressive Bruin team, but her form will help her stand out from the start.

Sophia Butler, Florida
Current CGN Rating: 79 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Butler is perhaps the lesser famous of the numerous elites joining Florida in 2022, but fans should get acquainted with her name. She is a strong and ambitious all arounder, who impresses especially on beam. She will fiercely compete for a lineup spot!

Kayla DiCello, Florida
Current CGN Rating: 78 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

The 2019 junior national champion has the key quality every collegiate coach is looking for: consistency. Her elite routines present some minor execution deductions, but she has such a vast repertoire that she will easily be able to select her best skills for college.

Ondine Achampong, California
Current CGN Rating: 75 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

CGN’s top international recruit is an exceptional beam worker. She could anchor Cal’s lineup from the very first meet. She is also very good on floor, and with some collegiate experience, could also become strong on bars.

Committed Level 10s

Faith Torrez, Oklahoma
Current CGN Rating: 80 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Torrez, who most recently competed as an elite but was rated based on her level 10 scores, is hugely talented on all four pieces. As almost any of K.J. Kindler’s recruits, she is an excellent beam worker, but she is also a powerful gymnast, competing a big double layout on floor and a double-twisting Yurchenko on vault. She will challenge for some anchor spots even as a freshman.

Gwendolyn Fink, North Carolina
Current CGN Rating: 73 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

With Fink and Lali Dekanoidze in the class of 2021, UNC is doing a superb job recruiting. Fink is an excellent all around gymnast with exceptional form on all four apparatuses. She particularly stands out on bars for form and consistency.

Ava Piedrahita, Penn State
Current CGN Rating: 65 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Piedrahita stands out for her difficulty. She competes a big full-in on floor, a Yurchenko half-on front pike—a 10.0 start value in college—and a double tuck dismount off beam. She will be a star at Penn State.

Gabrielle Gladieux, Alabama
Current CGN Rating: 64 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

The 2019 Nastia Liukin Cup junior champion has not fully blossomed but has huge potential on all four apparatuses. Her best event is beam, but she is also growing into a strong bar and floor worker.

Uncommitted Elites

Ciena Alipio
Current CGN Rating: 80 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

CGN’s top uncommitted elite is an elegant gymnast who is strong on all four pieces. She stands out especially on beam, where she can compete almost any skill in the book, but also has tons of potential on the other apparatuses.

eMjae Frazier
Current CGN Rating: 74 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Margzetta’s younger sister performs a lot of difficult skills, in particular a very interesting double-twisting Yurchenko. We hope to see her compete it in college!

Sydney Morris
Current CGN Rating: 67 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Morris is another elite with a bag full of tricks. Her best apparatus is beam where she competes a solid tuck full, but she is also a talented bar and floor worker.

Uncommitted Level 10s

Selena Harris
Current CGN Rating: 87 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

CGN’s top recruit is exceptional on all four pieces, and her routines are already ready for college. Her near-perfect Yurchenko 1.5 could anchor any vault lineup in the country, including Oklahoma’s.

Jacquie Moran
Current CGN Rating: 75 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Moran has exceptional form all around, but she really stands out on bars and beam. If Harris could anchor any vault lineup in the country, Moran could easily anchor any bar lineup.

Taralyn Nguyen
Current CGN Rating: 70 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Nguyen wins the difficulty competition by far . She performs a double-twisting Yurchenko, two E passes on floor, a 2.5 dismount on beam and a full-twisting double layout off bars. She could still clean her form up a tad on some of her elements, but what presence and what power!

Makenna Smith
Current CGN Rating: 67 | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX

Last January Smith accomplished her dream of qualifying elite, and her difficult gymnastics is revealing of that. She performs a big double Arabian on floor, an intricate routine on bars—including a Maloney to Tkatchev—and a Yurchenko half-on front pike on vault. The sky’s the limit! 

READ THIS NEXT: CGN Roundtable: On Recruit Ratings


Article by Talitha Ilacqua

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