With NCAA season in full swing, it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening in the elite world. We’re ringing in the new year by reviewing all the major elite headlines from the last few months.
2019 World Championships
- There was plenty of NCAA MAG and WAG representation at the 2019 Gymnastic World Championships in Stuttgart.
- The U.S. women—including Jade Carey (Oregon State ‘21), Kara Eaker (Utah ‘22), Sunisa Lee (Auburn ‘22), Grace McCallum (Utah ‘22) and MyKayla Skinner (Utah ‘17)—won team gold.
- Lee also won individual silver on floor and bronze on bars. FYI, her coaches, Jess and Ali Graber, are the twin brother and sister-in-law of Auburn head coach Jeff Graba.
- In total, four men and nine women from 11 NCAA Gymnastics programs qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo at the competition.
Signing Day
- WOGA elite Luisa Blanco announced plans to graduate early and join the Alabama roster in January 2020.
- 2019 European Games bronze medalist Jessica Castles committed to Arizona for the 2021 season.
- Florida commits Morgan Hurd and Riley McCusker signed NLIs for the 2022 and 2021 seasons respectively. We’re still waiting for Shilese Jones to make it official.
- Utah signed a trio of elites—Deanne Soza, Jaylene Gilstrap and Britain’s Lucy Stanhope—for the 2021 season.
- Olivia Dunne will join the LSU Tigers in 2021.
- 2020 Olympic qualifier Sze En Tan, Czech elite Sandra Jessen and Worlds silver medalist Irina Alexeeva have signed with Stanford.
- Victoria Nguyen surprised everyone by signing with Georgia while Carina Jordan switched her commitment from Utah to N.C. State.
- 2018 junior national champion Emma Malabuyo and Worlds silver medalist Ana Padurariu will join UCLA next season.
- U.S. national team member Gabby Perea signed with California.
- Adeline Kenlin will join Iowa for the 2021 season.
Other
- In addition to being named Worlds team alternate and learning a two-armed Cheng, MyKayla Skinner got married in November.
- Rutgers sophomore Sage Littlejohn won the Jamaica Cup national qualifier.
- Florida commit Hurd and Michigan alumnus Sam Mikulak will represent the U.S. at the 2020 American Cup.
- Iowa State junior Andrea Maldonado successfully competed a front triple full at the Cottbus World Cup. The skill will be named after her in the FIG Code of Points.
Article by Claire Billman
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