This weekend we wrapped up the penultimate championship of the season and witnessed Lindenwood’s swan song. This will be a shorter article than usual, befitting a sadly shrinking championship field, but we’ll hit the highlights of a memorable weekend. Here’s what I watched, anticipated, and worried about during the second-last weekend of season.
Question: What’s up next for HBCU gymnastics?
The second year of HBCU gymnastics was a memorable one, beginning with the introduction of a new team and ending with two HBCU gymnasts becoming national champions. There’s so much to love about where these teams are right now and the future is just as promising.
I expect that over the next few years we’ll see our two HBCU teams trade the all-time HBCU records and push each other further. I think we’ll continue to see strong recruits committing to HBCUs at least intermittently and potentially increasing over time. The biggest dream, of course, is the addition of more programs. We’re not far from seeing the personnel at Wilberforce start to assemble, which is so exciting. There’s just a lot to look forward to!
Bonus Questions:
What was that, Brown? West Chester is a great team and always had a shot to upset Brown in the semifinals of its home championship. Brown didn’t have to go out in such a blaze of glory, though. Finishing seventh in a six-team race—scoring lower than the total scores of the SCSU individual qualifiers—is a day the Bears will want to forget, and Julia Bedell’s first career fall on floor wasn’t a fun one either.
Comment: As one door closes a…portal…opens?
The end of Lindenwood gymnasts doesn’t necessarily mean the end for Lindenwood gymnasts. One Lion, freshman Elli Brownfield, who missed the 2024 season due to knee injury, has already found a new home at Illinois State. Three more have confirmed that they are in the transfer portal, including Nya Kraus, who plans to announce her new team on Monday. And more might be on the way.
We’re in for another exciting season of transfer portal news, and I think it can only be a good thing for the sport that transferring is becoming a more prominent option for gymnasts. When UIC was cut, only three gymnasts ultimately transferred. In some cases, staying at an athlete’s home institution and finishing their degree smoothly is genuinely the best choice for their future, but nobody’s athletic career should be ended against their will by a bureaucrat. Hoping for lots and lots of Lions to find new homes.
We also shouldn’t forget the award-winning Lindenwood coaches, who should be tantalizing options for openings this offseason.
Bonus Comments:
Shout out to event finals. All four national champion routines were just slam dunks. And they usually are! Kyrstin Johnson’s Yurchenko one and a half is always money, Jordan Coleman’s bars dismount was ice cold, Clara Wallace’s aggressive style on beam delivered as usual, and Maggie Slife matched elegance with precision on floor. It’s just such a great format for showcasing the best routines the country has to offer.
Concern: I’m still worried about the future of USAG nationals.
I’ve said this before. I’m repeating myself. I’m just worried about where we go from here with Lindenwood out, the Ivy League rumored out, and the NAIA not eligible for full teams as far as we know. The population of USAG-eligible teams has always varied as Division I teams’ funding ebbs and flows, but most of the years I’ve watched it’s been an eight-team meet selected from 12 or 13 eligible contenders. This year it was six out of nine, and next year we’re staring down having only six eligible teams in total.
It’s just not a good progression. I don’t even know if it’s possible for USAG to cease to sponsor the event, but it’s something I’m finding myself worrying about. I wonder if there are any partially funded Division I teams who could be made eligible by increasing the scholarship cutoff from seven and a half? Welcoming ideas.
Bonus Concerns:
Anyone who thinks that overscoring is a big-team thing has clearly never watched USAGs. I say this with love. I also don’t say this as a particular comment on this year’s meet or result. It’s a running phenomenon over the whole decade I’ve been following gymnastics at the USAG level. It’s just a silly meet.
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Article by Rebecca Scally
