Coming off the program’s best-ever season—finishing second in the country—expectations are high for the Golden Bears entering 2025 representing a new conference. Stars Mya Lauzon and eMjae Frazier are back to headline a squad capable of another team final, but with a handful of key routines needing replacing, California’s lauded freshman class will be looked upon to make an immediate impact.
2024 Rewind
No. 2 overall | No. 3 at Pac-12 Championships | No. 3 in regular season | NCAA Team Final
Nothing puts a disappointing conference meet finish in the rearview mirror better than ending the season as NCAA runners-up. The Golden Bears were a perpetual top-three team in 2024, and while that may be more difficult in 2025, they’re still plenty capable of matching the feat. California’s toughest test in its conference race will be Bay Area rival Stanford, as the Golden Bears open as heavy favorites in their inaugural ACC season. Yes, the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Seniors Ella Cesario Jordan Kane Mya Lauzon Abbey Scanlon Madelyn Williams Juniors Miki Aderinto Casey Brown eMjae Frazier Jayden Silvers Sophomores Brandi Kikuno Kyen Mayhew Annalise Newman-Achee | Freshmen Ondine Achampong CJ Keuneke Sage Melkonian Brianna Taurek Mya Wiley |
| Out | |
| Graduated Elise Byun Andi Li (AA) Gabby Perea (UB, BB) | |
| Injury UpdateFreshman and former five-star recruit Ondine Achampong tore her ACL in April training for Great Britain’s Olympic team but has been spotting training bars and beam in preseason clips. Newman-Achee has also been seen on socials, indicating she’s healthy and ready to contend for lineups after injury recovery sidelined her all of 2024. | |
Fresh Faces
Ranging from former three- to five-star recruits, the Golden Bears bring in the 13th-ranked freshman class that features not only depth options across the board but also lineup-ready routines from day one. Getting anything from former five-star and near-British-Olympian Achampong is an immediate bonus, but others like Mya Wiley project to contribute right away, too.
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 6 | NQS: 49.435 | Average: 49.352
| Event Overview: Vault wasn’t a bad event for the Golden Bears a season ago, but with just four 10.0 start values, it was their weakest. When battling for the top spot, maximum difficulty is required, and that looks like much more of a possibility for California in 2025. | ||
| Locks: eMjae Frazier, Mya Lauzon, Kyen Mayhew, Jayden Silvers, Mya Wiley Not only do the Golden Bears return all their 10.0 start values, but they also gain another in Wiley’s college-ready Yurchenko one and a half. Frazier and Lauzon were dialed in on landings all of 2024, and if they can share those sticky feet to the rest of the lineup, California can expect to make significant gains on vault this season. | ||
| Contenders: Casey Brown, Ella Cesario, Madelyn Williams Any of last season’s Yurchenko fulls from this trio would be serviceable to slide into the open lineup spot, but you can tell the competition for the top six is heating up, as Casey Brown and Madelyn Williams have been training one and a halves in the offseason. An upgrade would give the Golden Bears their first six 10.0 start value lineup, so whoever can master that extra half should get the nod to lead off. | ||
| Wildcards: Ondine Achampong, CJ Keuneke, Sage Melkonian, Annalise Newman-Achee, Brianna Taurek CJ Keuneke, Sage Melkonian, and Annalise Newman-Achee have been working 10.0 upgrades this offseason, and Brianna Taurek competed a Tsuk layout full in her junior career, but these options aren’t as polished and experienced as those above. Achampong vaulted a Yurchenko double as an elite, but coming back from a leg injury, any vault from the rookie would come very late in the season at best. |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 2 | NQS: 49.640 | Average: 49.537
| Event Overview: Bars has been the program’s identity over the last several years, and that shouldn’t change in 2025 despite losing cornerstone routines from Andi Li and Gabby Perea. A slight dip from the Golden Bears here wouldn’t be unexpected as there’s no one-for-one replacement for either of those lost sets, but bars will be far from a weakness with the options they do have. | ||
| Locks: Ella Cesario, eMjae Frazier, Mya Lauzon, Madelyn Williams The core four all-arounders never saw a break from bars in 2024, and one wouldn’t expect any different this season. Another season in the anchor spot means another season of 10-watch for Madelyn Williams, who continues to max out at 9.975 despite a smooth swing and tight toe point. With the code change, she and Lauzon appear to have added Maloney halves to their sets to adjust to the new requirements. | ||
| Contenders: Ondine Achampong, Casey Brown, Annalise Newman-Achee This was one of the events we saw Achampong training in the offseason, and a routine from her here would be a huge boost for the Golden Bears. A healthy Newman-Achee seems likely for one of the open spots, too, as her aesthetics fit well with the rest of the group. Dismount difficulties kept Brown from more appearances a season ago, but this was her pet event in her level 10 career. | ||
| Wildcards: Miki Aderinto, Jordan Kane, CJ Keuneke, Mya Wiley Miki Aderinto and Jordan Kane have always trained and served as alternates on bars and will remain depth options, especially with two holes to fill. This is a solid event for newcomers Wiley and Keuneke as well; they should factor into the exact same role as the aforementioned pair. |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 2 | NQS: 49.630 | Average: 49.408
| Event Overview: This is where the heavy all-arounder strategy bites California the most, as losing two of the six who competed all but one beam routine in 2024 hurts. There are seemingly a lot of options, but they’re all unproven, so the core four will be relied upon to carry the lineup that had a few misses early last season. | ||
| Locks: Ella Cesario, eMjae Frazier, Mya Lauzon, Madelyn Williams The ability to hit for a 10 at any time from both Frazier and Lauzon is significant when needing to put the team on your back, but the real test for the Golden Bears on beam will be getting Cesario and Williams to blossom into the steadying mid-lineup forces they need to be. | ||
| Contenders: Ondine Achampong, Miki Aderinto, Annalise Newman-Achee A routine from Achampong is needed most here, and thankfully she’s been shown working skills on her best event in preseason training. Like on bars, Newman-Achee is a safe bet to see lineup time, and Aderinto should be in consideration as well, as she delivered a hit when called upon in 2024. | ||
| Wildcards: Casey Brown, Jordan Kane, CJ Keuneke, Sage Melkonian, Abbey Scanlon, Brianna Taurek Should Newman-Achee or Achampong not be healthy enough to fill lineup holes, this is the group of depth options the Howells will have to choose from. If the trend of favoring multi-eventers continues, look for Brown to break through. |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 3 | NQS: 49.635 | Average: 49.537
| Event Overview: They may not have been the flashiest floor lineup, but the Golden Bears were one of the cleanest last season, and all six major contributors are back. The rookie class provides options here, too, making this an area where California can thrive in 2025. | ||
| Locks: Ella Cesario, eMjae Frazier, Mya Lauzon, Kyen Mayhew, Madelyn Williams Factoring in last year’s NQS and all-around-ability, these are the five mainstay routines that should define the floor lineup. All eyes will be on Ella Cesario to add her full-in and Williams her front double full to complement the E passes from Mayhew, Frazier, and Lauzon. | ||
| Contenders: Jordan Kane, CJ Keuneke The battle for the final spot will be challenging, and it should come down to two excellent front tumblers. Kane is the favorite, thanks to her NCAA experience, but this is the event Keuneke was recruited for, and her front double full is ready to go. | ||
| Wildcards: Sage Melkonian, Annalise Newman-Achee, Jayden Silvers, Brianna Taurek, Mya Wiley She hasn’t competed floor yet in her collegiate career, but Silvers was a standout here in level 10 and could be a dark horse if the Golden Bears need to reach into their depth. This is yet another event where Newman-Achee can factor in as well. |
Records Watch
Team: 198.550 | AA: 39.825 | VT: 49.525/10.000 | UB: 49.825/10.000 | BB: 49.825/10.000 | FX: 49.750/10.000
The last two seasons have seen Lauzon and Frazier trade off setting new program records in the all-around, and that thrilling battle will only continue to flourish in the coming season. Frazier holds the top mark currently, in addition to beam and floor 10s while Lauzon was the first-ever Golden Bear to be perfect on beam. As mentioned before, Williams should be the next to reach perfection on bars while the 49.750 on floor California notched last season is also in jeopardy of being broken.
The Big Picture
Integrating new routines into the Golden Bears’ lineups may come with an adjustment period, as routines outside their top six don’t often see lineup time. But, once they’re settled, California has the stars, depth, and momentum it needs to stay in the championship conversation. Household names Lauzon and Frazier will lead the charge as California has a complimentary but challenging new moniker to overcome—the best program to never win a championship.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
