While there will be a sense of unfamiliarity surrounding Oregon State this season, as they compete as the only Pac-12 team thanks to conference realignment. The identity of the Beavers remains the same, though, returning nearly all of their 2024 routines and with headliner Jade Carey adding more Olympic hardware to her resume over the summer. With a strong rookie class also in the mix for the Beavers, expect the 2025 Pac-12 Champions to be a part of the nationals conversation.
2024 Rewind
No. 21 overall | No. 5 at Pac-12s | No. 18 in regular season | Regionals semi-finals
The Beavers’ best result with Carey on the roster has been 12th, so in her final collegiate season without a conference title to compete for, the ultimate goal will be taking a team trip to Fort Worth. Oregon State will again play the darkhorse role with two former four-star recruits—Guilianna Fiorillo and Sophia Kaloudis—and plenty of returning routines to put itself in contention to advance out of a regional final.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Fifth-Years Sydney Gonzales Seniors Carley Beeman Natalie Briones Jade Carey Karlie Chavez Kaitlin Garcia Lauren Letzsch Sage Thompson Juniors Francesca Caso Jennifer McMillan Savannah Miller Ellie Weaver Sophomores Olivia Buckner Taylor DeVries Sophia Esposito Mia Heather |
Freshmen Guilianna Fiorillo Sophia Kaloudis Reina Marchal Paulina Vargas |
| Out | |
| Graduated Ariana Young (VT, BB, FX) Retired Phoebe Jakubczyk |
|
| Injury Update | |
| Sydney Gonzalez, a key contributor for the Beavers since 2021 who tore her right Achilles mid-season in 2024, opted for a fifth year to ideally contribute on several events. | |
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 17 | NQS: 49.240 | Average: 49.171
| Event Overview: With only three surefire 10.0 start values, difficulty could be a disadvantage again, as it has been in the past for the Beavers. Carey’s ability to score a 10 helps, as does Fiorillo’s college-ready Omelianchik. However, Oregon State could benefit most from the return of a healthy Gonzales and her Yurchenko full-on pike. | ||
| Locks: Olivia Buckner, Jade Carey, Sophia Esposito, Guilianna Fiorillo | ||
| Contenders: Natalie Briones, Kaitlin Garcia, Sydney Gonzales, Sage Thompson | ||
| Wildcards: Karlie Chavez, Sophia Kaloudis |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 7 | NQS: 49.485 | Average: 49.402
| Event Overview: Bars saw a drastic improvement, as the lineup finished out of the top 20 in 2023 and ranked outside the top 45 as recently as 2021. The entirety of last season’s top 10 lineup returns, and with viable routines from both freshmen, depth will improve, too. | ||
| Locks: Natalie Briones, Jade Carey, Taylor DeVries, Jennifer McMillan, Sage Thompson | ||
| Contenders: Sophia Esposito, Guilianna Fiorillo, Sophia Kaloudis | ||
| Wildcards: Ellie Weaver |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 25 | NQS: 49.235 | Average: 49.050
| Event Overview: Inconsistency bit the Beavers several times on beam last season, particularly at the finish, as they failed to hit 49.000 on the event at Pac-12s or in the postseason. Gonzales had Oregon State’s second-best NQS on beam in 2023, so her potential return would be significant here, where the Beavers are less likely to fill a lineup hole from the freshman class. | ||
| Locks: Jade Carey, Sophia Esposito, Jennifer McMillan | ||
| Contenders: Olivia Buckner, Sydney Gonzales, Sage Thompson | ||
| Wildcards: Guilianna Fiorillo, Sophia Kaloudis, Ellie Weaver |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 20 | NQS: 49.415 | Average: 49.215
| Event Overview: If not for a pair of early season floor meltdowns, this event would’ve gone toe-to-toe with bars as the Beavers’ best. Carey returns to provide Oregon State with a near-automatic 10.0 in the anchor spot while the rookie class helps give it plenty of strong options to choose from. Former four-star recruit Sophia Kaloudis should get some reps with a big opening double layout. | ||
| Locks: Jade Carey, Sophia Esposito, Kaitlin Garcia | ||
| Contenders: Guilianna Fiorillo, Sydney Gonzales, Sophia Kaloudis, Sage Thompson, Ellie Weaver | ||
| Wildcards: Natalie Briones, Karlie Chavez, Savannah Miller |
Records Watch
Team: 198.075 | AA: 39.875 | VT: 49.475/10.000 | UB: 49.675/10.000 | BB: 49.650/10.000 | FX: 49.700/10.000
The 13th gymnast to record a gym slam and the Beavers’ current individual record holder on every event—Carey is obviously one to put on records watch this season. She has hit nearly every routine of her career, and a perfect 40 isn’t out of the question. Her 117 event titles are already the most in Oregon State history, and she’ll be looking to finish with a total that could potentially be unbeatable by any gymnasts that comes after her.
The Big Picture
Should everything go according to plan, the Beavers have the pieces in place to make the most of Carey’s NCAA gymnastics farewell tour. There should be an immediate positive impact in score, as Carey is projected to compete in the all-around more frequently as she takes a break from training elite gymnastics, with roleplayers like Gonzales, Sophia Esposito, Sage Thompson, and the rookie duo the ones who will set the ceiling for this squad.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
Is Lauren Letzsch not expected to compete?
Last year, she was diagnosed with POTS, so we were conservative with our predictions for her 2025 contributions.