With their collegiate debuts just a couple of months away, these ten graduating seniors stood out in a big way in their final time being reviewed. Quite a few unrated recruits have had incredible seasons, and other rated recruits have made massive improvements, improving their ratings and placing themselves into new rating tiers as a result of their hard work. With tangible and impressive improvements made throughout the past year of competition, these gymnasts should be applauded for their growth, and college coaches will be happy to see that their belief in these gymnasts’ potential has been rewarded.
Christina Shelton
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: NC State
Improvement: 47 to 74
Reason for improvement: Shelton made tremendous strides on bars, beam, and floor, significantly improving her execution on each apparatus. Her all-around score at level 10 nationals was almost two points higher than her 2025 effort, serving as proof of a truly impressive level of commitment to improvement. Perhaps most notable is Shelton’s improvement of 11 event points on bars — she became incredibly consistent throughout her senior season, with all of her seven bars routines since February coming in at 9.700 or higher.
Where she’ll excel in college: Shelton’s Yurchenko one and a half, with which she earned two 10.000s in 2026, should immediately slot into the latter half of the Wolfpack’s vault lineup. With the improvements she showed throughout 2026, she could make a powerful case for herself on the other three apparatuses as well.
Léonie Gervais
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Utah
Improvement: NR to 73
Reason for improvement: Gervais had an exciting year in Canadian competition, having moved up from the national open category to the senior high performance level. Her strong basics and unique style will serve Utah well. Gervais performs a dynamic and clean front pike half on vault, and has precise tumbling on floor that should immediately translate to a strong college routine.
Where she’ll excel in college: Gervais should be a contender for Utah’s vault lineup from day one, given that several high-scoring 10.000 start values will be departing with this year’s graduating class. She also maintains the potential to break into the beam and floor lineups early, depending on the status of an unspecified injury she sustained at the Gymnix Challenge in March.
Jessica Schlegel
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Uncommitted
Improvement: 52 to 72
Reason for improvement: After taking the world of German gymnastics by surprise with her all-around bronze at last year’s national championships, Schlegel has been steadily on the rise. With consistent and reliable fundamentals across all four events, she has what it takes to be a trustworthy presence in any lineup. A contributing factor for her 20-point jump in the ratings is her newly debuted vault; Schlegel went from competing a low start value vault to suddenly being in excess of a 10.000 start, indicating not only enhanced ability on the event, but a proven willingness to go above and beyond.
Where she’ll excel in college: As Schlegel is still uncommitted, coaches should take notice of her legitimate potential to contribute on all four events throughout her college career. Her precise and beautiful to watch style of gymnastics should translate very well to college scoring, and she has immense potential to grow even further. As a seasoned Bundesliga competitor, Schlegel also knows how to perform under pressure in pursuit of a team title.
Kathryn Cross
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: North Carolina
Improvement: 50 to 69
Reason for improvement: With major improvements made on vault and floor, Cross earned a bump in the ratings from three to four stars. She debuted a Yurchenko one and a half in January, which she then earned a 10.000 on in just her second time competing it. On floor, she is an energetic performer, with three clean tumbling passes and an increased ability to find precise landings. She also notched a four-point improvement on bars, as well.
Where she’ll excel in college: Cross should quickly and comfortably find her way into multiple lineups, a particularly valuable fact given the volume of graduating routines that the Tar Heels will need to replace. Her vault will complement North Carolina’s returners well from day one, with bars and floor emerging as extremely realistic possibilities as well.
Sydney Williams
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Iowa
Improvement: 50 to 69
Reason for improvement: Williams recorded improvements on all four events, with the most extreme of these occurring on bars. Her form and consistency on the apparatus improved significantly from her earlier ratings, doubling her prior total of event points from eight to 16. Further improvements on vault, beam, and floor gave her a greater boost, firmly establishing her as a four-star recruit in advance of her arrival in Iowa.
Where she’ll excel in college: Another recipient of a vault 10.000, expect Williams to make the most immediate impact there. Her Yurchenko full is dynamic and clean, and will be of surefire use to the Hawkeyes. It is certainly likely for Williams to make a quick debut on floor as well.
Mackenzie Showers
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Ball State
Improvement: 54 to 65
Reason for improvement: A ten-point increase on vault due to Showers’ upgrade to a Yurchenko one and a half is nearly entirely responsible for her jump in the ratings. With an established pattern of success on the other three events, vault was effectively the only piece of the puzzle holding her back from a higher rating — but not anymore.
Where she’ll excel in college: As Ball State’s highest-rated recruit since the rating system was introduced, Showers could be a tremendously impactful competitor across multiple lineups from day one. She should see a rapid entry to the bars lineup, with her double layout dismount serving as the exclamation point to an incredibly clean routine. Her upgraded vault should also slot into the Cardinals’ repertoire extremely well.
Josie Maryschak
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Northern Illinois
Improvement: 35 to 64
Reason for improvement: Maryschak more than blossomed in her senior season, earning herself a six-point increase on vault, a ten-point increase on bars, and a jaw-dropping 13-point boost on floor. The result of increased consistency, improvements to form, and a clean style of gymnastics that should score well in college, Maryschak will arrive at Northern Illinois ready to contribute in a major way.
Where she’ll excel in college: Maryschak’s event of greatest improvement – floor – is also where she should immediately begin to shine. With a lovely style of performance, her clean execution throughout her tumbling passes should make her a reliable presence capable of scoring very well for the Huskies. Her newly minted Yurchenko one and a half should emerge quickly as well.
Regina Brunson
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Maryland
Improvement: 27 to 62
Reason for improvement: With the largest level of point improvement amongst all previously rated recruits in her class, Brunson doubled her previous totals on vault and floor, while adding ten points to her bars and beam ratings. Increased consistency and an enhanced ability to control her landings bolstered her totals across the board, in addition to the solidification of previously tested upgrades.
Where she’ll excel in college: Brunson has a wonderful rhythm on bars, complete with a valuable Van Leeuwen that Maryland will certainly be happy to add to its lineups. Throughout her senior year, she competed a Yurchenko full with a repeatedly clean landing. She has posted training footage that indicates the potential emergence of a Yurchenko one and a half. If this materializes, look for Brunson to provide additional scoring potential to the Terps’ vault lineup.
Ava-Malani Franco
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: UC Davis
Improvement: NR to 61
Reason for improvement: The second Wildfire Gymnastics alumna on this list, Franco came back from an ACL injury with power and precision. She earned career highs of 9.900 on both vault and floor, while establishing a pattern of consistent performance on beam. Her precise form on all three events will serve her extremely well in college.
Where she’ll excel in college: Franco’s Yurchenko full is not only powerful, but also extremely reliable. Five of her seven vaults in 2026 came in at a 9.725 or higher, including the aforementioned 9.900. This level of consistency and execution will be of immediate use to UC Davis. Prompt appearances on beam and floor are also extremely possible.
Inga Jimenez
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
College: Sacramento State
Improvement: NR to 60
Reason for improvement: Increases in difficulty were the name of the game for Jimenez’s senior campaign, reflected through a reliably performed Yurchenko full and a well-controlled Van Leeuwen on bars. Her consistency through these upgrades earned her repeated upticks in her scores, proving her ability to execute them to a high degree for seasons to come.
Where she’ll excel in college: Sacramento State will be able to immediately implement the boost in difficulty that Jimenez will bring on vault and bars. With more time to settle into her newer skills, she has the potential to improve them even further.
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Article by Sarah Smith
