Last Week in College Gym: July 5

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 year announcements to recruiting rumors and coaching news, we don’t blame you for missing some important points here and there.

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

Name, Image, Likeness Underway

NCAA athletes can now officially begin earning money off their name, image and likeness as of July 1. And deals are already starting to trickle in for student-athletes. World-Herald Sports reported that all Nebraska athletes will have an offer from Runza, a fast food restaurant chain, while Forbes’ Kristi Dosh reported that Milner, a technology service provider, will offer endorsement deals through Icon Source beginning with $10,000 split between five student-athletes, include Florida’s Trinity Thomas. For more notable brand deals for NCAA gymnasts, check out our new Last Week in College Gym section below each week.

Orel Named Lindenwood Head Coach

Lindenwood hired Catelyn Orel, former Arkansas assistant coach, to be the program’s new head coach. She comes to St. Charles after serving two years on the Arkansas staff, having completed her own collegiate gymnastics career at Nebraska in 2019. 

Other Newsworthy Items

• Utah State announced Texas Woman’s assistant coach Stephen Hood as its new assistant coach. Hood spent four years on the TWU staff, coaching mostly vault and bars and helping lead the team to the USAG national title in 2018 and two individual vault titles.
• Former Oregon State gymnast Lacy Dagen will be joining the UC Davis coaching staff as a volunteer assistant coach for the 2022 season.
• Incoming UCLA freshman Emily Lee confirmed she tore her Achilles during her floor routine on day two of the U.S. Olympic Trials.
• Ohio State’s Hannah Oliveros provided an honest look into the slow and frustrating Achilles recovery process; the rising sophomore was injured during the season.
• Our own Brandis Heffner was interviewed for Sports Illustrated’s look at the NIL landscape.
• ESPN’s E60 released a feature on UCLA alumna Heidi Moneymaker, the stunt double for Scartlett Johansson in “Black Widow.”
• Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso, the 2021 USAG national all around champion for SEMO, is transferring to Bowling Green, according to her Instagram bio. She will transfer as a junior.
• Filmmaker Leo Glover announced that he will release a documentary film on California junior Nevaeh DeSouza’s career.
• Oklahoma alumna Anastasia Webb was named a top three finalist for the Collegiate Women’s Sports Association Honda Cup, which is awarded to the nation’s best female collegiate athlete across all sports. UCLA softball pitcher Rachel Garcia took home the award.
• Ariana Orrego, rising senior at Iowa State, qualified for her second Olympics representing her native Peru. Orrego becomes the first Iowa State gymnast to qualify for the Olympics while in college.

NIL Brand Deals

• Auburn’s Derrian Gobourne already managed to ink a deal with Salute leotards.
• Savannah Schoenherr, a Florida gymnast, has been promoting Gopuff on her Twitter account.
• TikTok star and LSU sophomore Olivia Dunne promoted her account in Times Square, with the caption, “big things coming :)”.

Training Updates

• Illini Mia Takekawa is training a tucked Yurchenko 1.5 and a side aerial to gainer 1.5 beam dismount.
• Danielle Press, rising Nebraska sophomore, is playing with a front handspring front tuck beam series.
• Mallory Mizuki, Illinois junior, is training a piked Jaeger.
• Lauren Bannister, rising BGSU sophomore, is returning from Achilles surgery and training Yurchenko full into the pit.
• Olivia Williams, a rising junior at BGSU is training a new combination pass on floor: She was seen working on a RO+1.5+RO+1.5+Punch Front Layout
• Ragan Smith, rising junior at Oklahoma, is training a kickover front tuck connected to gainer back handspring gainer full beam dismount.
• COVID-19 5th year taker Sarah Edwards was seen completing a DLO in her Instagram stories. Edwards competed the pass her junior year before facing an ankle injury. It will be interesting to watch whether she brings it back after eliminating it from her floor routine in 2021. 
• UW-Lacrosse started a new Instagram series titled “New Skill Saturday” featuring some of its athletes’ newest training videos. The first installment of the series featured freshman Abby Mitchell’s FTDT on floor and upgraded DTY vault, freshman Annie Clarmo’s unique side aerial to front toss beam series, junior Kerrie Legault’s double layout bar dismount, and super senior Jenna Danninger’s Rudi to back handspring floor combination. 
• Centenary’s instagram featured video of incoming freshman Chloe Armentor training a Yurchenko 3/2 into the pit.

READ THIS NEXT: After Elite Heartbreak, Aleah Finnegan Is Ready for Fresh Start at LSU

Article by the editors of College Gym News

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