Lindenwood University recently announced it will be transitioning from Division II to Division I in the fall of 2022. In an ideal world, that means the gymnastics program will now have up to 12 full scholarships for its athletes. Over the last 10 years of Lindenwood gymnastics, the Lions have built their program from the ground up. From a roster with 10 athletes, nine of them freshmen in 2013, to qualifying to NCAA regionals in 2019, Lindenwood has blown all expectations out of the water. In what world does a team go from its inaugural season to winning a conference championship in two years?
It hasn’t been easy either. It took a near-196 performance for the Lions to overtake the competition. A national championship was not far behind, coming just two weeks later.
Before looking forward to the future of Division I Lindenwood, let’s take a peek into the history books where the back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back MIC champions originally got their claim to fame. We’re going back to 2015.
All good programs have humble beginnings, and the Lions were no exception. In 2013, 10 athletes took a chance on a new program in St. Charles, Missouri. After a coaching shuffle at the beginning of the season, Jen Llewellyn, then Jen Kessler, took the reins. Under her leadership, the Lions began their quick ascent to the top of the conference and the USAG, going from underdogs to the team everyone wanted to beat. Take a look at a list of the team’s national, USAG and conference rankings over the last 10 seasons.
| Year | National Rank |
| 2013 | 63 |
| 2014 | 58 |
| 2015 | 50 |
| 2016 | 49 |
| 2017 | 50 |
| 2018 | 43 |
| 2019*** | 36 |
| 2020* | 50 |
| 2021 | 44 |
| 2022** | 54 |
*2020 results tallied after week 10 due to season cancellation due to COVID-19.
**Ranking tallied after week 10
***Team qualification to NCAA regionals
| Year | USAG Regular Season Rank |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 6 |
| 2015* | 2 |
| 2016* | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019* | 1 |
| 2020** | 1 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 3 |
*Years Lindenwood won the national championship
**No postseason meets were held due to COVID-19
Note: To qualify for USAG nationals, teams must have less than seven and a half scholarships. In 2013-2015 and 2018-2019, 13 teams were eligible. In 2016-2017 and 2020, 12 teams were eligible. In 2021, five teams participated due to COVID protocols. In 2022, 11 teams are participating in USAG competition.
| Year | Conference Regular Season Ranking |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 4 |
| 2015* | 1 |
| 2016* | 1 |
| 2017* | 1 |
| 2018* | 1 |
| 2019* | 1 |
| 2020** | 1 |
| 2021* | 2 |
| 2022 | 3 |
*Years Lindenwood won the conference championship
**No postseason meets were held due to COVID-19
Note: The MIC had six members from 2013-2019. From 2020-2022, there are five members.
Among the conference and USAG circuit, the 2015 season was an obvious catalyst for the program’s climb to success. After that year, the Lions established themselves as a dynasty among Division II programs. The team has not lost a single conference championship since then and has not ranked lower than third in the USAG. Moreover, the Lions became the only Division II program to qualify as a team to NCAA regionals in 2019, beating out 26 Division I institutions for the final qualifying spot.
When taking a closer look at Lindenwood’s 2015 season, especially in comparison to the team’s performance two years earlier, two things become clear.
1) The Lions were getting good…fast.
2) “Rising to the Occasion” was this team’s middle name.
The first 195-plus performances in program history were those that helped the team claim the 2015 conference and USAG national titles. Despite falling back to a 192 in March, the Lions did not let that deter them. The team peaked just in time for postseason, setting a precedent for years to come. In fact, just last season Lindenwood posted a season high at the MIC championship to take its sixth victory in a row. In 2019, a new beam program record of 49.500 in the final rotation boosted the Lions to a 196.375 and their third USAG national title in five years.
From an outsider’s perspective, these numbers seem impossible—miraculous even. But with good recruiting, a culture of hard work and a desire to leave a legacy, anything is possible. If this is what the history of Lindenwood gymnastics looks like without 12 full scholarships, imagine what the future holds for the Division I version. With the addition of a new coaching staff and the prospect of increasing resources for recruiting, this is the dawn of a new era. If the past has anything to say about it, the best is yet to come.
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Article by Tavia Smith
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