(GYM) Gymnastics 2023 - 2024

Different era, late 80s, but I'd have Melissa Miller up there too.

 

Dang, you're old.

I have Melissa Miller up there too.

 

My Mt. Rushmore has 5:

Bridget Sloan
Trinity Thomas
Kytra Hunter
Alex McMurtry
Melissa Miller

 

One HC isn't enough to satisfy UGALY:

BREAKING: Cecile Canqueteau-Landi, Ryan Roberts Tapped to Lead Georgia - College Gym News

CGN Roundtable: The New Georgia Head Coaches - College Gym News

Georgia Announces Leadership Change in Gymnastics - University of Georgia Athletics (georgiadogs.com)

LOL! The poodles are going to be void of college HC experience even after the Paris 24 Olympics. Roberts was kept on for his recruiting but has zero HC experience. Landi is a top elite coach, but that experience likely won't transfer immediately to NCAA team gymnastics. Top off Landi with a year of separation from her husband and daughter and this reeks as a first-year failure to improve.

Good job UGALY. The poodles might improve from 18 to 15. We get to see this clown show in Gainesville next season.

 

Riley McCusker on her way back for the 2025 season:

Riley’s Toepoint on X: "RILEY!!!! https://t.co/l3IKZssmLQ" / X (twitter.com)

Riley was working on bars before the season ended. It will have been a long way back, but she has the capacity to be ready for multiple lineups in 2025.

 

The three top teams in the nation in the 2025 season will be from the SEC:

LSU senior gymnast Haleigh Bryant to return for fifth season (msn.com)

Haleigh Bryant announced today that she is returning for her 5th year with LSU. Bryant makes the tiggers a serious contender to repeat.

It's going to be quite the SEC race and national race with Florida, LSU, and Oklahoma being loaded in 2025.

With Kayla DiCello returning, Skye Blakely coming in, Riley McCusker coming back off injury in 2 to 3 events, Ellie Lazarri coming back for her 5th year, will likely find out on Victoria Nguyen later, and a couple of other highly rated freshmen coming in, UF will be as loaded as it has ever been. Hopefully our 2024 #1 freshman class will continue to improve making a sophomore jump. I like the Gators chances in 2025 of winning the SEC and the national championship.

LSU loses Sierra Ballard, their impressive leadoff on beam, Kiya Johnson, and Savannah Schoenherr, all 5th year.

Oklahoma loses Katherine LeVasseur and Ragan Smith.

Looking outside the SEC:

California loses Andi Li and likely Gabby Perea. The Golden Bears have their best two gymnasts back from 2024.

Utah loses the most from the 2024 top teams with Maile O'Keefe, Abby Paulson, Jaedyn Rucker, and Alani Sabado leaving.

UCLA will be better getting 2 gymnasts back who deferred 2024 to try to make the US and Canadian Olympics teams.

Still, the best teams will be in the SEC in 2025.

 

Update on returners for 2025 from College Gym News:

Florida
Chloi Clark Likely not Instagram bio says UF gymnastics alum
Ellie Lazzari Definitely

Chloi is no surprise as she had a severe knee injury at the end of the season and her performance career was basically over after the 2023 season. Thank you for being a terrific Gator team member Chloi.

 

Leanne Wong on CNBC yesterday:

CNBC Events on X: "USA Gymnast and Entrepreneur Leanne Wong shares where she finds inspiration for her small business at #CNBCSmallBiz https://t.co/5CpkeAdJYw" / X (twitter.com)

Gators Gymnastics on X: " National Team Gymnast, and Entrepreneur on @CNBC this afternoon! Tune in: CNBC 1:30pmET #GoGators | ‍♀️ | @USAGym | @UF https://t.co/tKGl3bBtzI" / X (twitter.com)

What an inspirational and outstanding Gator! Congratulations on being recognized for your accomplishments both in and out of the gym.

 

Gator Grads:

Gators Gymnastics on X: "5⃣ #Gators back in @OConnellCenter this weekend to claim their degrees ‍♀️ Congrats! https://t.co/hMCuQ5wX2X #GoGators | ‍♀️| #UFGrad https://t.co/w4Es9VxUwQ" / X (twitter.com)

Congratulations to Chloi, Bri, Ellie, Michala, and Trinity.

Since Victoria Nguyen is not on the graduation list, I'm thinking we are going to see her performing again in 2025. I hope so as she started hitting her stride in 2024.

 

College Gym News Releases Way Too Early Top 25:

Way Too Early Power Rankings for the 2025 Season - College Gym News

I didn't go further than the top 6 but see my post #1149 just above. I agree with CGN's top 6 teams for 2025. Of course, I have UF #1:

1. LSU
Final 2024 Ranking: 1

Haleigh Bryant—gym slammer and winner of the NCAA all-around title, team title, and AAI Award—was without a doubt the nation’s top collegiate gymnast in 2024, making her decision to return a gigantic net gain for LSU. The Tigers still have a handful of important routines to replace, but retaining four of the country’s best sets from one of the most consistent athletes in the sport alleviates some of the pressure. A quartet of four and five-star recruits all with extensive elite experience will give LSU another season with lengthy depth charts, even if none of those potential fifth-year announcements come to pass.

2. Florida
Final 2024 Ranking: 4

It’s shaping up to be a tight race between a trio of SEC squads for the No. 1 spot. Each brings in strong rookie classes and returns key postseason routines, but it’s 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year Kayla DiCello who will be the difference-maker for the Gators. In addition to lineup-ready routines from five-star recruits Lily Bruce and Skye Blakely, DiCello returns proven success on all four events as she shined in her lone NCAA season in 2023 before deferring to make a run at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jenny Rowland is going to have ample routines to choose from on every event, including superstar Leanne Wong; if there’s room on the roster for a Victoria Nguyen fifth-year, Florida will lose zero routines from its 2024 championship lineups.

3. Oklahoma
Final 2024 Ranking: 6

The Sooners have dominated the Big 12 since its current roster was still in Mommy and Me classes, but they will face a good bit more resistance from an uber-stacked field of SEC teams. They’ll be coming into their new conference with an ax to grind after a disappointing showing at the NCAA championships, which may be enough to catapult them to another record-setting season (though we wouldn’t be disappointed if further motivation came in the form of an in-conference rivalry with reigning national champion LSU). For now, the biggest question mark is how they’ll replace the collective 11 routines from Ragan Smith, Katherine LeVasseur, and Audrey Davis. A killer freshman class featuring a trio of five-star recruits to complement all-around stars Jordan Bowers and Faith Torrez should certainly help.

4. Utah
Final 2024 Ranking: 3

If you have to lose a pair of all-time greats like Maile O’Keefe and Abby Paulson, countering with a recruiting class of three five-star recruits and the highest-rated recruit ever certainly helps lessen the blow. Avery Neff, the aforementioned top recruit, fills four lineup holes immediately, as she’s expected to lead the 2025 Freshman of the Year conversation. Neff, alongside Grace McCallum, should easily keep the Utes in the championship hunt. Carly Dockendorf did a remarkable job in her first year leading the charge despite the rocky offseason, andshe will undoubtedly lead the Red Rocks to more success as her head coaching career progresses.

5. California
Final 2024 Ranking: 2

Mya Lauzon and eMjae Frazier both spent a lot of time top 10 of the all-around rankings this season and will be the reason why the Golden Bears will once again be in the championship mix. Their title hopes took a bit of a hit with the announcement of five-star recruit Ondine Achampong’s ACL tear that could impact her NCAA debut, but California only has to contend with a handful of lost routines and should expect a few useable sets from the rest of its recruiting class, including from one of the highest-rated four-stars, CJ Keuneke.

6. UCLA
Final 2024 Ranking: 17

Assuming Jordan Chiles does return to Westwood as expected following her attempt at a second Olympic Games, the Bruins will be able to survive the loss of heavy-hitters Chae Campbell and Nya Reed with four sets from Chiles and their six-person incoming freshman class. Ana Padurariu is also set for a collegiate comeback after spending a year training to compete for Team Canada, despite unfortunately getting injured in the process, with her bars and beam sets the possible key to stabilizing lineups that were often shaky for UCLA throughout 2024. Without Chiles, the Bruins’ stock will drop, but regardless of her choice, they’re set to challenge for a conference title in their debut season in the Big Ten.

7. Arkansas
Final 2024 Ranking: 7

The Razorbacks’ upset bid to nationals was likely just foreshadowing what’s to come; they’re primed for a standout 2025, losing just a single routine from their postseason lineups and adding high-profile recruit Joscelyn Roberson—the World Champion in the thick of the race for the U.S. Olympic team. Roberson will add elite-level difficulty to at least the vault and floor lineups, her signature events, fitting right into head coach Jordyn Wieber’s specialist-heavy strategy that proved so effective in 2024. Arkansas will start the season on the right side of the nationals bubble for the first time in over a decade.

8. Missouri
Final 2024 Ranking: 11

Missouri seems to have taken Kentucky’s place as the team that always draws the short end of the regionals bracket, but the Tigers’ stock is on a steep rise following incoming freshman Olivia Kelly’s show-stopping performance at level 10 regionals, Finnish elite Kaia Tanskanen’s strong showing at the European championships, and Oklahoma’s Amy Weir announcing her transfer to Columbia. Factor in the rest of this impressive freshman class, plus the return of sophomore all-arounder Addison Lawrence, and the Tigers are primed to claw their way up the national rankings and play spoiler in a deep SEC conference.

9. Michigan State
10. Alabama
11. Kentucky
12. Auburn
13. Stanford
14. Minnesota
15. Ohio State
16. Oregon State (Come win a NC with UF Jade)
17. Georgia (Clown show with new coaches?)
18. Michigan
19. Towson
20. Denver
21. Penn State
22. Washington
23. North Carolina State
24. Clemson
25. Boise State

All 9 of the SEC teams are ranked in the top 17.

The PAC 12 will be the 2nd best conference occupying rankings 4-6.

Michigan State only loses 1 routine from 2024. They will be the best team in the B1G and are likely to win the conference. The Spartans will push Arkansas and Missouri for a spot in the top 8. Their talent and depth are outstanding.

 

Thanks. Utah to Big 12, Cal to dominate the ACC, and UCLA to fight it out with Michigan State for the B1G. The SEC is the unchallenged powerhouse.

 

that ship sailed last november when shilese didn't sign.

 

Iowa Update:

Iowa's Larissa Libby Resigns Amid Investigation - College Gym News

HC Larissa Libby resigned after 20 years last Friday. She has been suspended since March.