Whether due to a legacy of winning, a stacked roster, or recent underperformance, there are teams coming into 2024 with a chip on their shoulder. We rounded up nine teams that have something big to prove this season.
Florida
The Gators need to win a national title. It’s an undeniable fact that Florida has had its sights set on returning to the top of the podium in Fort Worth since its last championship in 2015. After second-place finishes in 2022 and 2023—as well as the shortened 2020 season—the team has knocked on the door, coming within 0.150 of the ultimate goal. With a routinely stacked roster and one of the most lauded coaching staffs in the country, the Gators have achieved everything but the big prize. Will 2024 be the year Jenny Rowland puts this feather in her cap?
Michigan
After winning Nationals in 2021, Michigan has suffered from a fall in the final rankings, and failed to qualify to Nationals at all in 2023. With teams like Michigan State and Ohio State chomping at its heels in the Big 10, Michigan needs to put together the NCAA title-worthy performance that it is capable of in order to hold on to its status as one of the top programs in the nation. Especially after the departure of its team leaders and two top all arounders, Natalie Wojick and Abby Heiskell, Michigan will need to prove that there is more to the program than their all-around stars. Can 2024 be the year the Wolverines return to Four on the Floor?
Nebraska
The Huskers came out of a multiyear slump in 2023, but they remain nowhere near the quality that their status as a perennial nationals competitor belies. Still, last year settled a lot of uncertainty around the team. Multiple 197s, a sixth-place finish at Big Tens, and a return to the postseason were all highlights. All eyes will be on Lincoln in 2024, as the Huskers try to continue to march up the rankings.
Western Michigan
The MAC is one of the most exciting conferences in college gymnastics; the parity across the field always makes for a barn-burner of a championship meet, and every year there’s a back-and-forth at the top of the season rankings. Last year the Broncos landed on top of the regular season standings on the heels of a handful of massive scores, including a 197.100. The conference meet was an off day, and they landed only fourth. Western Michigan has been climbing the rankings since 2019; its 2023 No. 27 final ranking was its best finish. 2024 will be a big test: Was last season a fluke? Can the Broncos replicate that 197 score? Will they take home the MAC title and return to regionals? With all-around star Payton Murphy back for her Covid year, anything seems possible.
LIU
The recent mass exodus from LIU has been shocking. 11 gymnasts either transferred or left the team between the end of the 2023 season and the beginning of 2024 preseason practices, including some of the roster’s most productive performers. Both of the team’s inaugural assistants, Hallie Mossett and Lauren Marinez, have moved on, and the Sharks competed with just one paid assistant in 2023. Are these just growing pains for a brand new team, or is something amiss on Long Island? 2024 will be telling.
Clemson
The Tigers are the first new Power 5 team to be added to the NCAA gymnastics fold since Arkansas. Clemson has a massive, well-funded athletic department with a huge, passionate fan base. The school has invested hugely in the new program, from Amy Smith’s big contract—she’s set to make $160,000 this season, with annual $5,000 increases built into her contract which runs through April 30, 2027—to the team’s immaculate new training gym. There are a lot of question marks around the team, though. Smith has been widely accused of abusive coaching; her only assistant, Erik Lewis, was with her at Utah State for four years, and she brought much of that roster with her to South Carolina. Will her old, bad habits continue with so many familiar faces around her? How far can university investment and a new facility carry a roster that was on campus but didn’t officially compete in 2023?
Iowa State
It was a huge shock when Ashley Miles Greig was named the new head coach for Iowa State. A lot of eyes are on Ames with the former elite and NCAA champion leading the Cyclones. Miles Greig will have to lean on her coaching staff, as well as her own experiences as an athlete, to adjust to this new position. After Iowa State finished the 2023 season ranked No. 44, its lowest finish in program history, it will be interesting to see how this coaching change affects its 2024 performance. Miles Greig needs to prove that Iowa State made the right choice hiring someone with no coaching experience, a risky move after the results of this past season. The Cyclones struggled finding consistency on all four events and their recent graduating class leaves some major holes that will need to be filled by newcomers. The incoming class is strong, but a question still remains – Was this coaching change the right choice for Iowa State?
San Jose State
The Spartans missed regionals by a hair in 2023, with an NQS just 0.080 behind North Carolina, which landed the last regionals berth. That near miss came after the Spartans’ first postseason qualification in seven years back in 2022. A number of big names graduated, but Jada Mazury is back for her Covid year campaign, and Joanne Bowers is welcoming a big freshman class. Will San Jose State be sitting pretty come regionals selection day?
Utah State
In the past two seasons, Utah State went from a team that was on the verge of scoring 197.000+ scores consistently, to a team that was struggling to hit the 196.000 mark. The Aggies finished the season ranked No. 44, dropping down 20 places from 2022 after a significant portion of the 2022 roster followed Amy Smith’s move to Clemson. With head coach Kristin White entering her sophomore season and a big class coming in – plus the addition of Arizona State grad transfer Juliette Boyer – 2024 should be the year to get things back on track.
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This was a great article. Spot on! Florida should have a lot to prove because we all saw that they should have had a title last season. Every one who rescored the championships proves that. I do have a bone to pick: being one of my favorite sites to follow it comes off as personal. The section on Clemson seems to show a bias against Coach Smith. But all other coaches with issues continue to get passes or never discussed. In other instances because you don’t have all the information. I really enjoy this site and all the articles but this seems very inconsistent and biased. Great article and just wanted to share my opinion . Thanks for all you do and the great work!