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Last Week in College Gym: June 29

There’s a lot that happens on the gymternet each week. So much so that it can be hard to keep track of it all. From training updates and COVID news to recruiting rumors and coaching announcements, we don’t blame you for missing some important points here and there.

But that’s where we come in. Last Week in College Gym is your one-stop shop for all the important headlines from the previous week in college gymnastics. No matter if you’re taking a social media break, went on vacation or just don’t have the capacity to follow every single gymnast, team and fan, we have you covered.

Top Storylines

“Athlete A” Drops on Netflix

The Netflix documentary “Athlete A” chronicles the Indy Star investigative report into the Larry Nassar case, focusing on Maggie Nichols, who was anonymously identified as Athlete A during the investigation. It is available to stream on Netflix now.

Alaska Exodus Continues

It’s unclear what exactly is happening within the Alaska program. What we do know is two gymnasts (Isabelle Fox, transfer to Illinois State, and Kenadi Brown, transfer to New Hampshire) and both paid coaches have left the program. Graduate assistant Marie-Sophie Boggasch was promoted to the paid assistant role after Alina Cartwright was removed from the roster, and Tanya Ho vacated her position as head coach this week. Academically, the Alaska system cut 39 majors this month after nearly gutting its athletic department last year. The breadth of the situation is unclear, and we continue to monitor it closely. 

Lynnzee Brown Going for Olympics

The rising senior at Denver announced she will be pursuing qualification to the Olympics representing Haiti. While it is unclear whether she intends to qualify for Tokyo or wait for Paris in 2024, Brown, whose junior season was cut short due to a mid-meet injury in February, would need to qualify based on all around results from the yet-to-be-rescheduled Pan American Championships if she has her sights set on Tokyo.

Lewis Promoted to Associate Head Coach

After two years serving as an assistant coach for Utah State, Erik Lewis was promoted to associate head coach. He serves as the primary bars coach for the Aggies while assisting on floor and overseeing the team’s academics. 

Other Newsworthy Items

  • Nebraska alumna Sienna Crouse has joined Kentucky’s program as a volunteer assistant coach.
  • Florida’s Savannah Schoenherr shared her coming out story via Gator Gymnastics.
  • Ohio State rising junior Kaitlyn Gilson announced her retirement on Instagram.
  • Recently graduated OW-Oshkosh senior Baylee Tkaczuk was nominated for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
  • YouTube star Whitney Bjerken discussed her NCAA eligibility on the All Things Gymnastics podcast and revealed that she is hoping to commit to an SEC team.
  • Former Utah star MaKenna Merrell-Giles is fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a club gymnastics coach.
  • Arkansas head coach Jordyn Wieber announced she was hiring recent UCLA graduate Felicia Hano as volunteer assistant coach. Hano will help with vault, floor and social media.

Training Updates

  • Natalie Wojcik is training a full-twisting double layout bar dismount. If the rising junior competes the skill, it will be the second in Michigan’s lineup, joining Sierra Brooks.
  • Jaedyn Rucker, rising sophomore at Utah, posted an Instagram Story of herself working a double front half-out dismount off of bars. This update is promising for Rucker, who did not compete during her freshman season.
  • Julia Hintermeister, rising sophomore at Hamline, posted an Instagram Story working a floor upgrade of RO + 1.5 twist + layout on the Tumbl Trak. Hintermeister did not compete floor her freshman season, so this upgrade is helpful in adding difficulty and hitting the requirements needed for a college-level floor routine.

READ THIS NEXT: Last Week in College Gym: June 22


Article by the editors of College Gym News

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