The USAG season came to an end with all the fireworks that have come to be expected. While scoring delays and ties convoluted the end of the national championship, let us not skip over the stellar gymnastics performed on the biggest stage. Talk about stepping up to the occasion! The quality of routines only improved as the final weekend went on, culminating in Lindenwood reclaiming its place atop the team podium. Event finals did not disappoint either, with floor and beam being the most down to the wire with who would claim the victory.
While we’re all going into withdrawal symptoms from the end of gymnastics season, let’s look at how the final USAG examination turned out.
Top of the Class
Lindenwood
| Vault: A- | Bars: A | Beam: A+ | Floor: A+ |
Compliments: Lindenwood could not have asked for a better showing at USAG nationals, claiming the team title as well as individual first-place finishes for Kaylee Cooper and Nya Kraus on bars and beam, respectively. The Lions silenced all naysayers as the team only got better as the pressure increased, coming back in the final rotation to take the team title. Lindenwood’s beam team should be voted “most improved” as the lineup settled in well as the season went on. Reaching the 49-plus mark on any event should be applauded, let alone two.
Looking Forward: The leg events will be the most impacted by the graduation of Gayla Griswold, Riley Daniels and Sydney Lopez. Vault will likely require the most rebuilding next season, as the floor depth is much steeper. At this point, every Lindenwood athlete in history has held the team national championship trophy in their hands, so don’t expect the Lions to wander too far from the top.
Honor Roll
SEMO
| Vault: B+ | Bars: A- | Beam: A | Floor: A |
Compliments: SEMO raised the bar, going on a hitting spree throughout the team final. After a slow start on beam, the rest of the competitors went lights out to avoid counting a mistake and take the lead after that rotation. While vault couldn’t quite hold on in the final rotation with the Lions on floor, the Redhawks put together some solid landings after a less-than-stellar warm-up on the event.
Looking Forward: SEMO loses 12 of 24 of its routines from the national championship, and Jordan Jones went down midyear with a season-ending injury. The 2024 season is likely to be a rebuilding year, but luckily, some heavy hitters are ready to continue to step into their own. Nyah Reader stepped up big this year, and expect her to continue to shine in her junior year.
Texas Woman’s
| Vault: A- | Bars: A | Beam: A | Floor: A- |
Compliments: The bars team came in hot, rectifying the mistakes that held the team back at the conference championships. While fewer stuck landings kept the team short of the title, the Pioneers were able to close the meet out on a solid note, holding off the resurgence of Air Force and SEMO.
Looking Forward: The Pioneers are losing a hefty class, contributing half of the routines at the national championship. Luckily, signs indicate the possibility of Daisy Woodring returning for her fifth year of eligibility. Considering that’s another three routines, and she was just named the national vault champion, that’s a considerable way to soften the blow. However, 2024 will likely be a bit of a rebuilding year for TWU. Look for Steelie King to make a significant impact next season.
Air Force
| Vault: B+ | Bars: B+ | Beam: A- | Floor: (A-) B+ |
Compliments: The slower start on bars put the Falcons behind the rest of the pack, but the performances got stronger as the team final went on. Air Force’s final beam rotation of the season was so stunning that it was difficult to look away, enough to slide into a tie for third place with SEMO. On the individual front, Velandra Brochi claimed the all around title, and Amber Boll’s Onodi made its competitive finale.
Looking Forward: Air Force graduates just two athletes and has plenty of individuals on the roster to absorb the blow. From the outside looking in, the culture of this year’s team appeared more relaxed and fun, so hopefully, that will continue into next season. Historically, the teams that are “just having fun” tend to perform the best on the big stage.
Plenty of Potential
Brown
| Vault: A- | Bars: B | Beam: C+ | Floor: A- |
Compliments: While Brown fell just short of qualifying for the team final, the Bears showed out on the leg events, led by Julia Bedell’s national championship-winning floor. Abby Contello, Maya Davis, and Ella Poley also represented Brown in the event finals. Davis’ floor routine was a ray of sunshine among the sea of scoring delays.
Looking Forward: Brown is in good shape heading into 2024. The team gained a good deal of competitive experience this year, which will suit it well on bars and beam. Expect Bedell to continue to make waves.
Southern Connecticut
| Vault: A- | Bars: C+ | Beam: B- | Floor: A |
Compliments: SCSU gets the vote easily for the most improved team featured at the national championship. Although the team started off slow this season, the Owls raged forward in the second half, ultimately finishing sixth in the country. Hannah Stahlbrodt returned from an Achilles tear to compete in the all around by the end of the year.
Looking Forward: Very few graduating athletes and a large roster bode well for Southern. The Owls are getting their footing in the Byron Knox era, so expect the team to continue to improve moving forward. From a leadership standpoint, Stahlbrodt will be missed.
Room for Improvement
West Chester
| Vault: B+ | Bars: B | Beam: B- | Floor: A- |
Compliments: West Chester’s floor squad continued to lead the way. McKenna Kissinger closed out her career with a showing in the floor final and second-team All-America status on bars. Jordan Coleman impressed on bars with her smooth release connection, and Kristina Rodriguez had yet another strong all around performance.
Looking Forward: As West Chester is a spread-the-love team, a larger graduating class equates to losing a quarter of its semifinal routines. Watch out for the Golden Rams on vault next season. Losing Kissinger and Kiah Johnson could be detrimental in the start value department.
Tutor Time
Yale
| Vault: A- | Bars: B- | Beam: C+ | Floor: A |
Compliments: While a team beam meltdown held Yale back from the start in semifinals, that doesn’t mean that individuals didn’t shine at USAG nationals. One name: Riley Meeks. Watching her close out her career with a second-place finish on beam was bone-chillingly beautiful. Sarah Wilson also impressed, landing herself a bronze in the all around and in the floor final.
Looking Forward: Yale is losing strong routines from Meeks and Raegan Walker. Moreover, this class’s leadership on the team will also be missed. Look out for more from all arounders Sarah Wilson and Gigi Sabatini next season.
Individual Honor Roll
Cornell
| Vault: B | Bars: C | Beam: B+ | Floor: A |
Compliments: Sydney Beers was a rockstar, asserting herself in the all around and the vault and floor finals. It was raining 9.7-plus scores for the Big Red, an impressive showing for the team that just narrowly missed qualifying for nationals.
Looking Forward: The future is bright for the Big Red. Missing qualification as a team will likely motivate this young squad heading into 2024. Expect more big things from the likes of Sydney Beers and Mikayla Burton.
Fisk
| Vault: B+ | Bars: A | Beam: B- | Floor: A+ |
Compliments: Three of five representatives of Fisk participated in event finals, an impressive percentage. Morgan Price finished her freshman year with a huge back two and a half twist that left the crowd roaring. A tie for third place didn’t feel like quite enough reward for the performance, but that’s gymnastics. Liberty Mora lived up to her beam queen status, landing herself on the podium.
Looking Forward: While Fisk’s long-term USAG status is unknown, the future of this program only gets brighter. Now that the entire roster has college competitive experience under its belt, expect next season to go more smoothly. Watch out for a conference announcement prior to next season as well, which would help increase postseason competitions for the Bulldogs.
Bridgeport
| Vault: A- | Bars: C- | Beam: B- | Floor: A- |
Compliments: Bridgeport was another case of the floor team really bringing it’s A game, and its trio of vaulters didn’t disappoint either. There’s a reason the team is one of the most improved in USAG gymnastics this year. It won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
Looking Forward: Bridgeport is on the upswing with a slew of young talent coming in. The Purple Knights will be losing the experience and leadership of multiple super seniors, but luckily plenty of underclassmen have gotten competition reps in over the last two seasons. Kieran Ross and Lola Sepulveda asserted themselves as reliable all around competitors. Expect large contributions from them to continue.
Centenary
| Vault: B | Bars: B | Beam: C- | Floor: A+ |
Compliments: Taylor Ann Wilson finished her career with a second-place finish on bars, showing that her 2021 national title was not a fluke. Kennedy Stephens’ final beam routine impressed with her display of flexibility and grace. The floor squad was on fire, culminating in an event final appearance from Carissa Martinez.
Looking Forward: Centenary is losing a large senior class, so next season could start off slow due to rebuilding the lineups. Hopefully, more returners who were injured this year will get a shot at lineups.
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Article by Tavia Smith
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