With our fifth round of recruit ratings officially out in the world, we wanted to sit down to discuss some of our thoughts about the process, recruits, and changes from this year’s release. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the new class of 2024 and 2025 ratings or the first ratings for the class of 2026—or have questions about the process—head over to the landing page.
Which recruits stood out to you the most in the class of 2026?
Katherine: She’s the No. 1 recruit for a reason; Presley Duke is truly special to watch. She reminds me a lot of Avery Neff in that her gymnastics is very mature and college-ready right now. And just like Neff, I think she’ll become even better. I also have to shout out who I think has one of the single most impressive routines in the class: four-star Ronnie Amey, an absolute bars queen. I was not at all surprised to see her repeat as national champion on the event this year, and plenty of colleges will be looking to plug her routine into the back half of their lineups.
Emma: I had a lot of fun rating CaMarah Williams this summer as we watched her compete at the elite level. She’ll be an instant hit at any school she chooses with her explosive tumbling and transverse back tuck on beam! This is definitely a gymnast with a lot of upside in her rating with plenty of small details to refine over the offseason, but she should expect to be near the top of her class by the time she graduates.
Julianna: Dulcy Caylor is one that has stood out to me and someone that has truly grown so much in the past year. Her consistency in this 2024 season has had a definite improvement, and she is an athlete you could put into any lineup. As an elite, she has truly started to come into her own, and is competing some pretty big skills really beautifully. I have no doubt this will continue throughout her time in her USAG career and into her NCAA career wherever she ends up.
Talitha: Hezly Rivera and Jayla Hang are among my favorites because they have everything I love in a gymnast: great basics, straight legs, pointed toes, impressive difficulty, and equally flawless execution. I can’t wait to see them continue to grow in the next few years. I hope they will both have a lot elite success before they go to college.
Tara: I loved watching Shea Orlando. Her gymnastics is clean overall, and I can’t get her vault out of my head—I can easily see her being able to upgrade to a front handspring pike half. Tori Hess also impressed me; her floor is especially great. On the elite side, Madray Johnson and Kieryn Finnell are a couple that stand out as having gymnastics that will already translate nicely to college.
Mariah: Michelle Pineda is a recruit that has a lot of potential. She recently transitioned to representing Mexico internationally, so she may not be top of mind for those who mainly follow the U.S. team. But, she’s a well balanced all-arounder that will be a star in college. I especially love her on bars!
Who are you most looking forward to seeing commit and eventually compete in college in the class of 2026?
Katherine: I’m looking forward especially to seeing where the 2026 GAGE elites commit. Like their predecessors from the past few years, they’re an overall tidy group who I see excelling in college. Four-star Evey Lowe just qualified to the Olympic Trials and should get plenty of attention. Her clubmates Annalisa and Malea Milton have flown somewhat under the radar, but I think they could shine in college; I’m especially excited to see if they commit to the same school!
Emma: Madray Johnson is poised to have plenty of top schools fight over her. With a nearly lineup ready Yurchenko one and a half, and precise and flowy beam that can be an immediate impact to any lineup, it’s easy to see schools like UCLA and Florida jumping at the opportunity to contact her on June 15th. I am so excited to see where she goes on official visits this fall!
Julianna: Hezly Rivera is someone who has continually been making a name for herself, especially within the last couple of weeks, and as we have watched her get more consistent and confident with each competition, it will be really exciting to see where she ends up in the next year.
Talitha: CaMarah Williams and Zoey Molomo for sure! Williams wrote in her USA Gymnastics bio that one of her goals is to compete in college for Florida. I’m not sure how long ago she wrote that and how much her plans have changed since then, but I’m curious to see whether or not she will end up pursuing her younger self’s dream. Plus, her enthusiasm for the sport is made for the NCAA, so I can’t wait for her to bring her energy to college. As for Molomo, I’m obsessed with her gymnastics. She has such long, straight, and elegant lines that have the potential to translate into exceptional college sets. I can’t quite picture her anywhere yet, but wherever she chooses to go, I’ll be a fan!
Mariah: Recruiting is one of my favorite aspects of following college gymnastics, but, as a twin myself, I always find the recruiting journey of twins fascinating. So, I’m interested to see where Malea and Annalisa Milton and Audrey and Sydney Snyder decide to go. Will they go to the same schools, different schools, or even rival schools? Only time will tell.
Tara: I’m excited to see where Presley Duke ends up. Will Oklahoma be able to secure the top recruit and keep her in the Sooner state, or will she end up elsewhere like clubmate Haley Mustari?
Who were you pleased to see improve their rating in the class of 2025?
Emma: I watched Ella Murphy’s Nastia Liukin Cup bars routine about six times straight. It was that good. It’s so hard to predict how Oklahoma freshmen will slot into lineups with the incredible amount of depth KJ Kindler has built, but it’s hard not to see Murphy’s bars slotting into the back half of the bars lineup in a post-Davis era. Coupled with her improvements this season on the beam and floor, her success in 2024 helped add herself to the growing list of five star Oklahoma commits.
Julianna: Sophie Schriever had a huge jump overall, and will be such a great addition to Washington’s lineups in the future. She has already scored a 10 before even coming to the NCAA on vault, which in itself speaks to the attention she’s given to detail in the past year! Schriever’s consistency across all events has made massive improvements, something so crucial to NCAA gymnastics. That being said, I really hope this year gives her more confidence in her abilities and carries over to when she starts her career at Washington.
Talitha: I was really happy for Haley Mustari, who moved from four stars to five stars. When I interviewed her last year, she said that being named a five-star recruit was one of her goals for this season, so I was delighted that her hard work has paid off.
Tara: Elyse Wenner came just shy of five stars last year, but it was easy to see how she could be a top recruit. Her gymnastics is clean, and she added difficulty and more high scores in 2024. Bailey Stroud missed most of last season but came back stronger than ever to jump from three to five stars. I love the jumps from 49 points (three stars) to four stars we saw this year, too; Julianna mentioned Schreiver, but Abigail Ryssman also upped her game this year largely due to a larger score volume and improvements across all four events.
We re-evaluated graduating seniors for the first time this ratings cycle. Who were you most excited to see get upgraded in the class of 2024?
Katherine: I was glad to see Madison Gustitus get the nod. She was a great get for San Jose State even before this year, but her senior season was really impressive, even qualifying to the Nastia Liukin Cup. With Lauren Macpherson’s transfer, there are spots on all four events for the Spartans to fill, and Gustitus could slot into all of them.
Emma: Audrey Sanger will be a nice addition for a Michigan team coming off a down year. She made a massive jump to five stars this season (was formerly three), highlighted by at least a five-point improvement on every single event. Notably, she jumped 10(!) points on beam and will be looking to fill the hole left by fifth-years Gabby Wilson and Sierra Brooks on that event. She can easily slot into the all-around for the Wolverines and bolster their beam lineup with her confident presence.
Julianna: Everyone on this list has made massive improvements, but two athletes that really stood out to me are Anna Flynn Cashion, who will be going to Kentucky this season, as well as Sanger. Cashion has improved so much within the past year, and with the level of difficulty she can perform, she will slide right into lineup spots. As for Sanger, she had one of the best improvements by the numbers and might just be one of the pieces of the puzzle Michigan needs to climb this year.
Talitha: I was so excited for Elle Mueller, who moved from being a four-star recruit to being No. 2 in her class. She had a sensational senior season, barely put a foot wrong, and won both nationals and the Nastia Liukin Cup.
Tara: Elizabeth Leary upped her game over the past two seasons and is definitely deserving of her upgrade. I’m almost as excited about the gymnasts we were able to give ratings to that were previously not rated, whether it be due to scores or injury. Texas Woman’s Bailey Upton and BYU’s Deborah Silva went from not rated to four stars, Washington’s Jessica Reith and Denver’s Sophie Hampp reached three stars after battling injuries, and UC Davis commit Sophia Pujols (yes, she’s related to that Pujols) and Maryland’s Addison Hewitt are new three-star recruits, among others.
Mariah: Anna Flynn Cashion has been mentioned, but she feels worth mentioning again. Until pretty recently, she was going to walk on at Auburn, where I’m sure she would’ve been a star, but we weren’t the only ones who noticed her stellar senior season. She not only earned herself a five-star rating but a well-deserved, last-minute scholarship to Kentucky as well. She can certainly help lessen the blow of Raena Worley’s graduation.
Which graduating senior are you most excited to see compete in college?
Elizabeth: It’s almost Avery Neff time! The time for predictions is almost over, and I’m anxious and eager to see how our highest-rated recruit since we started this system actually performs in college.
Katherine: I can’t wait to see what Jahzara Ranger accomplishes at Michigan. The past few Wolverine freshman classes have joined the program almost entirely injured, and while Ranger herself got hurt midway through this season, her gymnastics up to that point were ready for college on all four events. She’s drawn comparisons to Gabby Wilson, and she’s more than capable of achieving the same success, especially on the leg events.
Emma: I often long for the days of the classic Friday Night Lights Georgia floor 10. Now that the coaching staff has gone under a much needed overhaul, I believe Harlyn Tomlin will help restore that former floor glory. Not only does she have two E passes that are incredibly stickable, but there is nothing to deduct for in the air. She has clean, crisp, precise tumbling, and I can’t wait to watch her every Friday.
Julianna: I am excited for the entire LSU incoming class and to watch their experience in college. Most of this incoming class will be making a transition from elite to college, which is always something so beautiful to watch. All of these athletes—Kaliya Lincoln, Lexi Zeiss, Kailin Chio, potentially Zoe Miller, and level 10 Victoria Roberts—all bring an immense talent to the roster, so it is going to be so exciting to watch their journeys.
Talitha: I’ll have to pick two: Ondine Achampong and Skye Blakely. We’ve been waiting for Achampong to join Cal for so long, and I can’t believe the time has almost come. Given her ACL injury, her lineup time may be limited next season, but I’m excited nevertheless. As for Blakely, she’s my favorite elite, so I hope to see her shine at the Olympics this summer and then at Florida next year.
Tara: There’s so many that it’s hard to pick just one! Lily Pederson’s style is very Oklahoma, so it will be exciting to see her compete in college. It also feels like we’ve been waiting an eternity for Ui Soma to make it to college, so I’m looking forward to watching her as well.
Rebecca: I’m from Seattle, and I’ve been a Kylee Kvamme groupie from long before she became a major contender. Watching her go to Worlds and deliver the snappiness and conviction that makes me love her gymnastics so much with so little elite experience was a total delight, and the great level 10 season that followed proved she’ll be a major factor in the SEC.
Name an underrated recruit in each of the three ratings classes who fans should keep an eye on in the years to come.
Katherine: Michigan State’s incoming freshman class is smaller than the last few with only two gymnasts, but I have my eye on Cady Duplissis as a dark horse contributor. The Spartans are as deep as usual in 2025, but the 2024 Region 5 all-around champion has to be considered for lineups, especially with her 10.0 vault and piked full-in on floor. As for 2025, I rated Luiselena Rodriguez and was scratching my head as to why she hasn’t yet been recruited. The best way to describe her gymnastics is bold; I love how she attacks every event, doing so with clean execution. An underrated 2026 gymnast I’m eyeing is Tori Hess; she had a nearly perfect total on floor, and while her other events are a bit further behind, that alone should have her on top teams’ radars.
Tara: Southern Utah commit Mia Hampton had a great senior season, culminating with a personal best 38.700 at level 10 nationals. Her beam and floor work stand out—including a nice front double full—but she has the pieces to contribute on all four. Sage Curtis will always be somewhat underrated in the class of 2025, simply due to the fact that she doesn’t compete bars but excels on the other events. 2025 Denver commit Shyla Bhatia earned a near-perfect 24 of 25 points on floor and added an upgrade to a Yurchenko one and a half this season. Her bars and beam are a step behind, but the leg events should be enough to get Denver fans excited. In the class of 2026, I enjoyed Jada Kim. Her leap positions on beam and floor are stunning and she has an NCAA-ready Yurchenko full that garnered 21 points. A little more consistency would put her over the top.
Rebecca: I think New Hampshire is on the upswing again, and incoming freshman Cléante Théorêt is a major reason why. Her panache has already made her a Twitter training clip star, and she might be the athlete to bring UNH back into the conversation. From 2025, I don’t think Romanian Olympic contender Lilia Cosman gets nearly enough hype. She’s gritty and stylish in a way that I think fits beautifully with Michigan State’s ethos. For 2026, one of the best clubs in the country delivers again; Adelle Speck has what it takes to hunt down a scholarship at one of the best teams in the country or, if she prefers, become a star at a slightly lower-profile one.
Which schools do you see bright futures for once these recruits get to college?
Elizabeth: We all know it takes time when a new coach comes in to start seeing results. Penn State has finally started to show signs of greatness in 2024, and I think that trend will only continue thanks to the trio of five-star recruits heading to Happy Valley for the 2025 season. That class could be a game-changer for the Nittany Lions, and it’s not one you’ll want to overlook.
Katherine: This recent graphic from Iowa reminded me just how impressive its incoming class is—three elites vying for their country’s Olympic team is no small feat. The Hawkeyes have been through some instability as of late, but the arrival of Cassie Lee, Aurélie Tran, and Sydney Turner will be a major boost, especially with the talented Jen Llewellyn now at the helm.
Emma: Minnesota had an impressive 2024 season, but the departures leave big shoes to fill. However, the incoming class is nothing to scoff at. Canadian Olympian Ava Stewart brings international experience and will likely add a much needed 10.0 start value on vault. From the level 10 side, the Gophers are bringing another two five-stars in Teryn Crump and McCauley Harrington. Both excel on bars and will pair nicely in that lineup with fifth-year Mya Hooten.
Talitha: Penn State was my No. 1 choice, too, but since Elizabeth already mentioned it above, I’m going to give a shoutout to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are a team on the rise, and their future looks bright; in the next two seasons, they will welcome two five-stars and five four-star recruits. Rylee Guevara, who will join tOSU this summer, had an exceptional senior season and will arrive in Columbus as the highest-rated in her class. She could be an exceptional addition to every lineup from day one.
Tara: Other than Penn State’s awesome 2024 class, I want to highlight Kentucky. The Wildcats had a good incoming class already, but they bolstered it by flipping the commitments of two gymnasts: newly minted five-star Anna Flynn Cashion and four-star Alyssa Orgen. For the class of 2025, Arkansas’ class has the potential to bring the program to new heights while four of Denver’s five commits were promoted from three to four stars.
Rebecca: Echoing all of the above. I also think Missouri has a freshman class incoming that could push it back to nationals. N.C. State and Central Michigan are a couple of smaller teams that will reap the rewards of major hustle on the recruiting market this year.
What adjustments or improvements were made for this round of ratings? What early ideas do you have for improvements to make in the future?
Jenna: To be honest, we kept our methodology mostly the same as last year; we try not to make more than one major change each year, and this year’s was obviously adding the graduating seniors into the mix! However, there are definitely some improvements that we’d like to make next year… We really want to overhaul our elite rating criteria, for one. It feels like we are harsher on elites than on level 10s, which you can see from the level 10 five-stars having higher point totals than their elite counterparts. Elites are just really tricky to project and we have a lot less data to work with, not to mention the quantitative data being pretty useless when predicting collegiate performance… I could go on and on, but that is definitely the next area we’d like to focus on!
Talitha: We obviously re-rated seniors for the first time this year, which I think was a significant step forward. As in past years, this season many seniors had a significant glow-up, which was important to recognize both out of fairness to the athletes and for the accuracy of our class rankings. Additionally, gymnastics’ peak age is slowly moving from a gymnast’s teen years to their 20s; re-rating seniors, for me, is a way of contributing to and supporting the trend.
Rebecca: Re-rating seniors has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so proud of the work our team put in to make it happen. In the future, I’m putting a lot of thought into our policy to never downgrade athletes. There are multiple class of 2024 five-star recruits who received their rating in 2022 and landed at four stars or less during re-evaluation both subsequent years but got to keep their original ratings. I don’t want to reach the point of penalizing athletes for one-year injuries, but when injuries or technical issues dominate an athlete’s high school career, at what point are we just being inaccurate? Is the gymnastics community ready for downgrades? It’s something we’re mulling.
Finally, what do you hope fans take away from or keep in mind about this year’s ratings release?
Elizabeth: Just because a gymnast is an elite doesn’t mean they are ready for college right now, which is what our ratings system evaluates. If you’re confused as to why a gymnast didn’t receive the rating you expected, take another look at their form, their underlying technique, their landings, and their difficulty. Would they score 9.9-plus in a college lineup tomorrow?
Tara: This was our first time re-rating seniors, and we were able to deservingly promote and rate gymnasts we wouldn’t have re-rated in the past. Many gymnasts improve over the course of their high school career and many have their best seasons as seniors. It’s not that there were less graduating gymnasts of that caliber before, but we were finally able to promote and recognize those that peak later in their level 10 career.
Rebecca: In a similar vein to Tara, I think people who don’t watch level 10 closely don’t realize that drastic improvements year-over-year are absolutely the norm. That’s one reason why we were so motivated to re-rate seniors; it’s driven us crazy in previous years to see college freshmen succeed after high school senior seasons that we KNEW made them major contenders in college but had no way to represent in our ratings. If the senior level 10 ratings look a little different to you, please know that level 10 is genuinely just like that.
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Article by the recruit ratings team at College Gym News
