Our recruit ratings make it easy to discover all-arounders who will lead their teams to NCAA success in the coming years. However, event specialists play an important role on college teams too, and these gymnasts may slip under the radar while being recruited. Each year we take the time to highlight uncommitted, three-star, and/or unrated gymnasts who excel on each event, and this article focuses on bars.
Class of 2026
Regan Bacciocco
Rating: 
College: Minnesota
High Score: 9.900
Why She Stands Out: Bacciocco’s uniquely-constructed and difficulty-loaded bars set could very well become a standout routine for the Golden Gophers. Her rhythm throughout her routine is confident and collected, leading to a seamless flow between all of her elements.
Adilenne Holt
Rating:
College: California
High Score: 9.900
Why She Stands Out: Holt had a tremendous year on bars, topping her previous career best by a tenth and a half. Her handstands are definitive and clear, with a top-notch sense of technical precision and clean form throughout her routine.
Ava NovoGradac
Rating: Not rated
College: Washington
High Score: 9.825
Why She Stands Out: NovoGradac is confident and powerful on this event, with steady transitions between each aspect of her routine. Her Van Leeuwen and full-twisting double tuck dismount add valuable difficulty while also being quite cleanly executed.
Vanessa Wilson
Rating:
College: Uncommitted
High Score: 9.125
Why She Stands Out: Wilson’s action-packed routine is punctuated by her double-twisting layout dismount, which she performs both cleanly and with a great deal of amplitude coming off of the bar. Her aggressive and powerful handstands are also commendable, and indicate a strong sense of confidence on the event.
Class of 2027
Riley Hardin
Rating: NR
College: Iowa
High Score: 9.875
Why She Stands Out: A former Ohio state champion on bars, Hardin’s combination of difficulty and execution was rated as near perfect throughout the rating process. Her form is incredibly precise, and her floaty and graceful style of performance throughout her routine is enjoyable to watch.
Stephie Becker
Rating:
College: Stanford
High Score: 9.875
Why She Stands Out: Becker’s routine is technically strong and infused with difficulty, including a Van Leeuwen and a double layout dismount. Her dismount is a standout moment within her routine, with precise form and nearly-perfect shaping on the layout.
Jamie McDonough
Rating: NR
College: Alabama
High Score: 9.725
Why She Stands Out: McDonough has excellent lines throughout her routine, and an established sense of form that allows her bars set to look very well-controlled. Her Stalder to double tuck dismount is incredibly powerful while also being very cleanly executed.
Class of 2028
Sloane Mateo
Rating:
College: Uncommitted
High Score: 9.850
Why She Stands Out: Mateo’s form is truly commendable, and her precision throughout her routine seems college-ready now, with two years still to go until she makes her NCAA debut. She competes a strong Van Leeuwen and a double layout, adding key difficulty to her routine.
Maxine Cometa
Rating:
College: Uncommitted
High Score: 9.900
Why She Stands Out: Cometa competes a Downie, immediately cementing her difficulty as above and beyond, and if she chooses to compete the skill in college, she would be only the second gymnast to do so. Aside from this skill, her routine is quite clean, with her full-twisting double tuck dismount being of additional note.
Karlin Kirk
Rating:
College: Uncommitted
High Score: 9.650
Why She Stands Out: Kirk has a powerful swing, with excellent airtime throughout her release moves. Her strong basis of fundamentals on bars is visible throughout her routine, making her an athlete whose development on this event should be watched over the next two years.
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Article by Brynn Robbins, Sarah Smith, and Claire Harmon
