Recruit Files: Alyssa Van Allen, LIU

Name: Alyssa Van Allen
Club: Impact Gymnastics
High School Graduation Year: 2020

NCAA Team: LIU
Commitment Announcement: Instagram
Social Handles: Twitter | Instagram

Personal Bests 

Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
9.625 9.200 9.575 9.575

Videos 

Vault Uneven Bars Balance Beam Floor Exercise
2020 Valley of the Sun Challenge 2020 Valley of the Sun Challenge 2020 Valley of the Sun Challenge 2020 Sun Devil Classic

About Alyssa

Van Allen is a two-time Region 1 qualifier (2018 and 2019). In 2019 she tied for eighth on floor. One of her most successful meets was the 2018 Arizona state meet, where she won silver on beam and finished fourth on floor and in the all around. She scored career highs on bars, beam and floor in 2020. She was previously committed to Southern Connecticut.

What She Brings to LIU

Vault

  • Skill: Yurchenko full
  • Results: first place at the 2019 Atlanta Crown Invitational
  • Margin of Improvement: Van Allen’s vault is strong. Her body position in the air could be just a bit straighter, but her execution is solid. She is training a Yurchenko 1.5.
  • Impact on the Team: Head coach Randy Lane will be delighted to have her. She could even be in contention for the anchor spot.

Uneven Bars

  • Skills: Pak salto, toe shoot, double tuck dismount
  • Results: tied second place at the 2020 Valley of the Sun Challenge (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Van Allen’s routine still has a level 9 look. She will want to upgrade her dismount to achieve a 10.0 start value.
  • Impact on the Team: LIU has the talent to become a strong bars team. Van Allen’s current set is still not quite ready, but it may be in the future. She is training a full-in dismount.

Balance Beam

  • Skills: BHS + LOSO, full turn, front aerial to scale, switch leap to straddle jump three quarter, leap jump on the side of the beam, front toss to beat jump, 1.5 twist dismount
  • Results: second place at the 2019 Arizona state meet
  • Margin of Improvement: Van Allen has great potential. Her results reveal that she can fall victim of her nerves, but when she hits, her routine is almost spotless.
  • Impact on the Team: LIU is quickly turning into a beam team. If Van Allen can show consistency, she could challenge for a lineup spot.

Floor Exercise

  • Skills: double pike, front full twist to front pike, Rudi
  • Results: fourth place at the 2020 Sun Devil Classic (career high)
  • Margin of Improvement: Van Allen could work on her landings a bit more, but her routine is solid. Her intense choreography is impressive.
  • Impact on the Team: Despite not performing very difficult skills, Van Allen has the potential to score high and should make the lineup from the start. 

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Article by Talitha Ilacqua

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