The first days after Lindenwood announced its decision to cut 10 athletics programs, including gymnastics, were intensely emotional for sophomore gymnast Nya Kraus and her teammates. The story is familiar to us now: The 10 affected teams were invited to a mysterious mandatory meeting where a brief statement declared their programs would be eliminated with no possible recourse.
“I have never felt such a sinking feeling in my stomach before,” Kraus said. She left the meeting in tears.
But the ending of a storied program didn’t have to mean the end of an athletic career for the Lions. The transfer portal has enjoyed increasing visibility as an option for NCAA gymnasts, and Kraus’ thoughts turned to the possibility of transferring soon after learning the unfortunate news. Though Lindenwood offered scholarship athletes the option to keep their scholarships and finish their degrees, she felt sure that her gymnastics career wasn’t meant to end this way. Navigating the complex NCAA compliance rules on short notice provided some initial challenges, but ultimately, she officially entered the transfer portal on Dec. 6, less than a week after learning that her team had been discontinued.
In those early days, Kraus “had no idea how the transfer portal worked.” She didn’t know how many coaches would respond or how soon, so receiving a strong initial reaction was both gratifying and intense. “I was kind of shocked at how many schools wanted to talk to me,” she said.
On top of the already formidable workload of the gymnastics season and school, managing an unexpected recruiting cycle was challenging. “The beginning of the season, starting the recruiting process all over again, and school all hit me at once, and I was overwhelmed with all the things I had to juggle. However, once I was narrowing down my options and only focusing on the schools that I had a connection to, it was much easier.”
Her own modesty aside, it’s unsurprising that Kraus was an attractive prospect on the transfer market. As a freshman, she competed primarily on beam, with her resume there including an MIC title, a USAG title, and a season high of 9.900. As she continued to navigate the transfer portal as a sophomore, she would develop her strengths on other events, becoming a staple on bars, as well as a strong option on floor while finishing with a 9.880 NQS on beam and qualifying to NCAA regionals.
She was far from the only talented Lion to enter the transfer portal; one, Elli Brownfield, has already announced her transfer to Illinois State. Several others have made their intention to transfer known publicly, and still more are in the portal but haven’t made an official statement. Kraus emphasizes that she always felt supported by her team and coaches in her decision to transfer and had many personal discussions with other Lions about her experiences, but out of sensitivity, there wasn’t extensive group discussion of the transfer portal while the season was ongoing.
“Most of the conversations were one on one since [transferring] is kind of a touchy subject and we did not want to hurt anyone’s feelings or rub someone the wrong way. However, as a whole team, we all knew we were going to end up somewhere else and that was certain.”
Now that the season is over and the curtain has closed on the Lindenwood gymnastics era, conversations about transfer journeys are more open as athletes continue to explore their options and share notes about schools they’ve talked to. Kraus describes these conversations with teammates as “light” and “easy.”
In her early weeks in the portal, Kraus kept her options open, talking to numerous coaches from teams ranked “No. 1 to No. 53” and looking for a team with a positive atmosphere and a “human first” outlook. However, she was able to narrow down to schools she felt a connection with and ultimately visited just two, including Nebraska.
Nebraska hadn’t initially been high on her list of imagined destinations, and she was surprised by the strength of the Huskers’ interest in her. She was excited by the possibility of joining a strong program and felt that Nebraska was a place that could foster her growth as a gymnast and help her to meet her potential. “I think I’m ready to be in a more competitive environment,” she said. She has a particular dream of competing with her team at the NCAA championships, and she felt that Nebraska is a place where she could achieve it.
She had no previous connection to the Nebraska coaches but did know several teammates from her club days in Canada; two Nebraska gymnasts, Emma Spence and Jenna Sartoreto, are Canadians, and there’s a long and colorful history of international Huskers. After an official visit experience that she describes as “welcoming” and “chill,” she quickly knew she found her new home. That didn’t mean the end of the transfer process, though. The next step was figuring out how to announce her news.
Knowing how much hype transfer news can generate among gymnastics fans, she was excited to tease her announcement, but she knew she would have to tread carefully or risk giving too many hints. She intentionally minimized things such as likes or follows on social media that could make her commitment a foregone conclusion. She joked, “I did not want any of the gym fans to get any clues!” A Nebraska coach gave her the idea of posting a countdown to her announcement online.
Transferring away from an eliminated program is always bittersweet, and Kraus will carry pride in her accomplishments at Lindenwood and life lessons learned there to Nebraska and through the rest of her life. “Carrying Lindenwood’s legacy into the future will mean the world to me. From a team that got cut in less than three minutes to a team that has won MIC championships and a back-to-back USAG national championships is remarkable. I will forever be grateful for my time at Lindenwood, and I know it will serve me well in the future. I love you, Lindenwood gymnastics.“
Kraus’ transfer decision won’t be the last. Through the transfer portal, we can look forward to seeing the story of the Lindenwood Lions continue.
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Article by Rebecca Scally
