Last Week in College Gym: September 16

During the offseason, it can be difficult to keep up with all the news and training updates happening across the country. So each week, we will provide a curation of the most exciting upgrades, as well as other important news happening in the college gym world. Note the majority of the training updates highlighted will feature new skills and not, for example, someone training their same routine from the past season.

Of course, even with eight editors scouring social media for clips, we’ll still miss updates from time to time. Let us know in the comments or on social media if we didn’t include a new skill, injury comeback or more from someone on your favorite team!

Training Updates

• Jori Jackard, a freshman at Michigan State, is training a double layout off bars, which the team account added to its Instagram Story.
• California sophomore Milan Clausi was seen in an Instagram Story training a new Markelov release on bars.
• Georgia sophomore Mikayla Magee is training a Yurchenko 1.5 vault, an upgrade from the full she competed last season.
• Magee’s classmate Megan Roberts showed a piked full-in on floor.
• Georgia freshman Soraya Hawthorne was also seen throwing a double double from rod floor onto a mat in the pit.
• Hannah Scharf, an Arizona State freshman, was spotted on an Instagram Story training a Church to Pak salto combination on bars.
• Ohio State’s Claire Gagliardi is training a Yurchenko half-on front tuck. The vault was upgraded to a 9.95 start value in the 2020 code of points modifications from its previous value of 9.90.
• UCLA posted a video on Twitter recapping the Bruins’ first day of practice for the 2020 season. Included was a clip of sophomore Norah Flatley training a new, two front aerials to a back handspring swing down combination on beam.
• In other UCLA news, videos have emerged showing two gymnasts training Yurchenko doubles: sophomore Margzetta Frazier and junior Nia Dennis.
• BYU junior Abbey Miner is training a full-twisting double layout on floor per BYU’s Instagram Story.
• Pitt senior Michaela Burton is training a front handspring onto the board front handspring tuck vault per her Instagram Story. The vault only starts from a 9.9, but if she could turn the tuck into a pike it would give the Panthers a 10.0 start.
• The Sacramento State gymnasts are back in the gym and posted lots of videos to their respective Instagram Stories: Senior Tara Catour is working on a hitch kick to front toss on beam. Sophomore Amber Koeth is perfecting a back handspring + back layout + back handspring on beam while classmate Bella Lahmidi is training a full-twisting double tuck dismount on bars. Freshman Anna LeRoy showed off a front layout to double twist on the rod floor to mats in the pit. 
• Alaska took over WCGA’s Instagram and gave followers a sneak peak at numerous new skills. Junior Tere Alonso showed new beam choreography that includes a cat leap to sissone and a half turn on her knees. Senior Louisa Marie Knapp, who keeps fans updated with her training via her YouTube channel, unveiled a double turn on beam. Senior Sophia Hyderally showed off her new choreography and jump series on floor as well as a needle scale on beam. And the freshmen continue to impress with Joanna Chambers training a 2.5 twist to punch front on Tumbl Trak to mats while Kenadi Brown is working a one and a half to punch full on competition floor and a side aerial to bhs on beam. Also, an unknown gymnast did a Yurchenko half vault, which would give the Seawolves vault lineup a welcome boost.
• San Jose State’s Nikki Duggan unveiled a new gainer full dismount on beam. 

Elite News

• Phoebe Jakubczyk (Oregon State ‘22) competed at the Szombathely World Challenge Cup. In addition to winning silver on bars, she also qualified to the beam and floor event finals.

Coaching Changes

• Towson has named former assistant coach Jay Ramirez as the new head coach.
• New Hampshire has announced that Illinois State associate head coach Steve Avgerinos and former N.C. State gymnast Amanda Fillard have been named associate head coach and assistant coach, respectively.
• Sacramento State’s Melissa Genovese has been promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach.  

What Else

• California Co-Head Coach Liz Crandall-Howell was inducted into the BYU Athletics hall of fame for her storied collegiate gymnastics career.
• Arkansas verbal commit Lucy Stanhope, a Great Britain elite, attended a Utah football game this weekend with Utah verbal commits, Jaylene Gilstrap and Deanne Soza.

Article by the editors of College Gym News

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