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
Sophia Diaz to join Michigan for the 2025 season
Five-star recruit Sophia Diaz, the class of 2025’s second-highest ranked gymnast, announced that she will be matriculating at Michigan a year early to compete during the upcoming season. She’s an additional headliner in the Wolverines’ already highly anticipated freshman class, which now consists of seven ranked athletes: six five-stars and one four-star.
Jessa Hansen Parker Named Head Coach for Washington
Former Iowa assistant coach, and Hawkeye great, Jessa Hansen Parker will take the helm as Washington’s head coach, replacing Jen Llewellyn who took the head coaching job at Iowa earlier this year. Hansen Parker served as acting head coach for the Hawkeyes while the program looked for a replacement for Larissa Libby. She was also previously on staff at California and UC Davis.
Olympics News
- Oregon State’s Jade Carey, UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, and Auburn’s Sunisa Lee were named to the United States Olympic team at the Olympic Trials. Class of 2026 five-star recruit Hezly Rivera will also represent the US, making her already highly anticipated recruitment all the more exciting. In addition, Florida senior Leanne Wong and Arkansas freshman Joscelyn Roberson were selected as traveling alternates for Team USA, while UCLA commit Tiana Sumanasekera and LSU freshman Kaliya Lincoln were named as non-traveling alternates.
- Roberson told Olympics.com that she plans to compete elite while in college, targeting the 2025 World Championships in Jakarta. Additionally, she said that the 2028 Olympics, taking place after her senior year, are “definitely on the table.”
- On the pre-Olympics injury front, incoming Florida freshman Skye Blakely suffered a right Achilles injury during podium training and was unable to compete at Trials, potentially casting doubt as to the impact she’ll have on Gator lineups this upcoming season. Blakely’s teammate Kayla DiCello also suffered an unfortunate Achilles injury at trials; she was also projected to be an all-arounder for the Gators in 2025.
- Four of the five gymnasts on Team Canada have ties to the NCAA, with Alabama alum Shallon Olsen earning her third Olympic berth. Two members of the team, Cassie Lee and Aurélie Tran, will head to Iowa in the fall, and Ava Stewart will join them in the B1G at Minnesota.
- Four-star Lilia Cosman, class of 2025, qualified for the Romanian Olympic team after placing second in the all-around at team verification. Cosman is committed to Michigan State.
Other Newsworthy Items
- Mollie Korth and Sam Scherwinski, former assistant coaches at Georgia and Lindenwood respectively, joined the Husker’s staff as assistant coaches. Brian Amato was promoted to associate head coach.
- Longtime Kent State assistant coach Craig Ballard will join Jen Llewellyn’s staff at Iowa.
- Seth Helland, a former club coach at Twin City Twisters, will join the staff at California as an assistant coach.
- Georgia freshman and Belgian elite Aberdeen O’Driscoll discussed her plans to balance elite and NCAA gymnastics.
- LSU fifth-year standout Haleigh Bryant was nominated for two ESPY Awards: Best Breakthrough Athlete and Best College Athlete, Women’s Sports. Bryant also received the John J. Corbett Award for Top Female Amateur Athlete in Louisiana.
- LSU head coach Jay Clark received a contract extension through 2031.
- Iowa continues to make progress on its new practice facility.
- Recent Nebraska graduates Clara Colombo and Martin Comin discussed their experiences as international student-athletes at Nebraska in a feature for GINNASTICANDO.
- Four-star recruit Jordanna Phillis switched her commitment from Lindenwood to Ball State for the upcoming season, weeks after finishing her elite career at Canadian championships.
- Recent California graduate Elise Byun will co-host a podcast, The NIL Era, which will discuss NIL in college athletics.
Transfer News
- Former Arizona State gymnast Anaya Smith will take a fifth year at Georgia. Smith was a national qualifier on vault for the Sun Devils.
- Former Alabama gymnast Mati Waligora will stay in the SEC, using her sixth year of eligibility at Arkansas.
- Ohio State picked up two transfers, Kate Parks from LIU and Ashton Meuret from West Virginia. Both will join the Buckeye roster as sophomores with three years of eligibility remaining.
Training Updates
- Michigan State sophomore MaKayla Tucker posted a video of a double double off the rod floor into the pit.
- Michigan State fifth-year Delanie Harkness is training a double layout dismount on bars.
- UCLA fifth-year Frida Esparza is training a new toe-on to blind to piked Jaeger connection on bars.
- UCLA freshman Macy McGowan is training a Shaposh release on bars. She also showed double layouts and tucked double doubles on floor into the pit.
- UCLA senior Emma Malabuyo showed a full-twisting double layout on floor into the pit.
- Illinois freshman Chloe Cho has been working upgrades on multiple events, including adding a Pak to her full-twisting Maloney and training a full-twisting double layout on rod floor.
- California freshman CJ Keuneke also showed multiple upgrades, including two different 10.0 vaults: a Yurchenko one and a half and a front handspring pike half, both into the pit. She also showed a tour jete 1/4 on beam and a double front half dismount on bars.
- Ithaca sophomore Lauren Babineaux showed a full-in on floor into the pit.
- Springfield freshman Reagan Charlton is training a Tkatchev on bars, as well as a side aerial to side aerial turn to scale connection on beam.
- Ithaca senior Marlena Bailey is training a stalder handstand into her bars dismount.
- Whitewater sophomore Chloe Hammond is training a gainer layout step out to scale on beam.
- Minnesota redshirt junior Anahit Assadourian is working a Ray to Pak salto combination on bars.
- Minnesota freshman Lily Timmerman is training a Ray to Pak salto combination on bars.
- Oshkosh freshman Mary Lloyd is tumbling after recovering from a foot injury, showing a double tuck and front layout to front double full off the rod floor.
- Missouri fifth-year Mara Titarsolej showed a Y-turn one and a half to illusion turn combination on beam.
- Oklahoma fifth-year Audrey Davis is training an Onodi to scale combination on beam.
- Utah senior Grace McCallum is training a blind change to straddle Jaeger release on bars.
- Utah junior Ashley Glynn is training a Yurchenko double full on vault.
- Alabama sophomore Chloe LaCoursiere is working several upgrades, including a piked Deltchev catch and a front full to front double full combination on the rod floor.
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Article by the editors of College Gym News
