We still have quite some time before we become fully ensnared by anticipation for the NCAA season, but we need this right now. So in case you hadn’t heard, late August is already upon us. The actual meets may still be more than four months away, but mandatory-bonding-exercises season is ALIVE AND WELL. And isn’t that what we’re really here for? (It isn’t.)
Late August also means that we’re right in the midst of roster-reveal season. This will happen in stages and incompletely—some schools won’t actually know their rosters until the season is almost over (barely kidding), some freshmen won’t arrive until January and will be badly kept secrets until then, some walk-ons will disappear in about 2.5 months—but we do already have some complete rosters to inspect. I’ll note all newcomers, as well as any early or unexpected departures and any applicable coaching changes.
Oklahoma
Added signed freshmen Olivia Trautman and Allie Stern and walk-on Emma LaPinta.
Added sophomore transfer Karrie Thomas from Maryland. Last season, Thomas had a floor RQS of 9.850 and a bars RQS of 9.820.
Florida
Added signed freshmen Trinity Thomas, Sydney Johnson-Scarpf, Leah Clapper, Savannah Schoenherr, and Nya Reed, and walk-on Halley Taylor.
Francesca Lawal is no longer on the roster.
LSU
Added freshman walk-on Rebecca D’Antonio. (Bailey Ferrer is slated to be a January addition.)
Gracen Standley is no longer on the roster. Standley did not compete in 2018.
Utah
Added signed freshmen Hunter Dula, Cammy Hall, Cristal Isa, and Adrienne Randall.
Erika Muhaw is no longer on the roster, having graduated in three years—so she was technically a senior last season even though it was only her third year at Utah.
Nebraska
Added freshmen Sarah Hargrove, Abby Johnston, and Kaylee Quinn, Megan Thompson, and Adnerys De Jesus.
Rachel Thompson has taken a redshirt year after missing last season.
Torri and Karley Hutchinson are no longer on the roster. Torri appeared three times on bars and once on floor in 2018. Karley appeared 5 times on vault and once on floor.
Mike Heredia has joined as assistant coach, replacing Chris Brooks.
Georgia
Added its 80 million person freshman class of Rachel Baumann, Rachael Lukacs, Megan Roberts, Alexa Al-Hameed, Sterlyn Austin, Sami Davis, Mikayla Magee, Alyssa Perez-Legones, and Abbey Ward.
Jordyn Pedersen is no longer on the roster.
Neither are Gracie Cherrey, Ashley Foss, and Madison McPherson, all of whom medically retired last season.
Jason Vonk has joined as assistant coach, replacing “I guess Suzanne will do it,” who was replacing Charlie Tamayo.
Alabama
Added freshmen Asia DeWalt, Emily Gaskins, Jensie Givens, Griffin James, and Shallon Olsen.
Added sophomore transfer Tia Kiaku from Ball State. Kiaku recorded a 9.875 RQS on floor in 2018.
Ryan Roberts has joined as assistant coach, replacing Bryan Raschilla.
Cal
Added freshmen Maya Bordas, Milan Clausi, Talitha Jones, Grace Quinn, and Abi Solari.
Toni-Ann Williams is taking a 5th year this season (and currently has a dislocated elbow because of course).
Arkansas
Added freshmen Katarina Derrick, Amanda Elswick, Kennedy Hambrick, Bailey Lovett, and Savannah Pennese.
Kirby Rathjen, Lakin Legereit, and Ellie Wylie are no longer on the roster.
Washington
Added freshmen Brenna Brooks, Talia Brovedani, Amara Cunningham, Madeline McLellan, Meaghan Ruttan, and Hannah Vandenkolk.
Michigan
Added signed freshmen Abby Brenner, Abby Heiskell, Natalie Wojcik, and Maddie Mariani.
Added sophomore Anna Dayton and sophomore transfer Anne Maxim. Anna Dayton, a slayer of monsters, had retired from gymnastics after JO but has decided to return, which is awesome. Maxim is a transfer from Michigan State who went as high as 9.900 on UB and 9.800 on VT in the 2018 season.
No longer on the roster are Polina Shchennikova and Sam Roy due to retirement. Shchennikova released this statement.
BTW, I love Michigan actually announcing and explaining its roster changes. This should be a trend.
Auburn
Added freshmen Sabrina Cheney, Molly Frack, Derrian Gobourne, Reid Schaefer, Mia Schlarbaum, and Sydney Wrighte. Frack was not part of the announced signing class as she was originally supposed to join for the 2020 season but has arrived a year early.
Sydney Bassett has taken a redshirt year after missing last season.
Telah Black is no longer on the roster.
Ashley Priess-Johnston has joined as assistant coach, replacing Mary McDaniel.
Denver
Added freshmen Ashlyn Johnson, Maddie Quarles, Alexandra Ruiz, and Alexis Vasquez
Boise State
Added freshmen Tessa Depasquale, Hope Masiado, Danielle Shafer, Samantha Smith, and Alexis Stokes.
Illinois
Added freshmen Mallory Mizuki, Shaylah Scott, Torie Stotz, and Erin Weisel.
Added junior transfer Morgan Bixler from Maryland. Bixler had a vault RQS of 9.795 in 2018.
Mary Jane Horth is now Mary Jane Otto and was also granted a sixth year to continue at Illinois in the 2019 season. Sixth years are all the rage.
Jessie Deziel has joined as assistant coach, replacing Ashley Priess-Johnston.
NC State
Added freshmen Kailin Foland, Meredith Robinson, Alexis Sheppard, and Haley Zarett.
Added sophomore transfer Alliah Harrison from Western Michigan.
Missouri
Added freshmen Frances Bidwill, Hannah McCrary, and Mya Mulligan.
Alyssa Johnson is no longer on the roster.
Becca Shugel is returning for a 5th redshirt year after missing 2018 with injury.
Arizona State
Added freshmen Jasmine Gutierrez, Kaitlin Harvey, and Stephanie Tripodi
Averie Brook is no longer on the roster.
George Washington
Added freshmen Paige Apperson, Simone Banen, Deja Chambliss, Olivia Raymond, and Olivia Zona.
Alex Zois and Brooke Bray are returning for fifth years. Zois did not compete her freshman season in 2015 due to injury.
Justin Watson has joined as assistant coach, replacing Jason Vonk.
Stanford
Added freshmen Madison Brunette, Morgan Hoang, Eve Micco, Wesley Stephenson, and Grace Waguespack.
Penn State
Added freshmen Melissa Astarita, Dymiana Cox, and Donna Howell.
Added junior transfer Erynne Allen from Kentucky.
Iowa
Added freshmen Allie Gilchrist, Alexandra Greenwald, Lauren Guerin, Bridget Killian, Jax Kranitz, and Mackenzie Vance.
Kent State
Added freshmen Katelyn Arnett, Riley Danielson, Elizabeth Fulton, Samantha Henry, Madison Iannuzzo, Camryn Klein, Kendra Lindway, and Madison Trott.
Alyssa Quinlan is no longer on the roster.
Southern Utah
Added freshmen Mayson Bentley, Caitlin Kho, Karley McClain, Shylen Murakami, Rachel Smith, Stephanie Trevort, and Emma Wissman.
Karen Gonzalez is taking a 5th year.
McKenna Burnside, Julianna Dahlke, Amanda Wiltsie are no longer on roster.
West Virginia
Added freshmen Esperanza Abarca, Mackenzie Black, Kendra Combs, Rachel Hornung, Kristin Lang, and Taylor Sell.
Kaylyn Millick has joined as assistant coach, replacing Shea Anderson.
Arizona
Added freshmen Kennedi Davis, Asia Duvernay, Mackinzie Kane, Alivia Kendrick, and Melissa Mascarenas.
Taylor Spears has joined as assistant coach, replacing Dianna Ranelli.
No mention of Oregon St! What is going on with Jade Carey? Do we know if she is joining them this season or deferring?
Their roster isn’t up yet! As far as I know, she’s joining (haven’t heard that she isn’t), but probably not until after the worlds process.
Where is Abigail Matthews from Oklahoma
The list looks like order of finish. The Beavers has a disaster on beam at Regionals. I didn’t even bother to see where we finished. So probably not high enough to make this list. I hear we have four coming in for a total of 21!
What happened to jordyn pedersen?
She injured her foot competing on floor at NCAAs last spring, maybe she medically retired… Pedersen was going to have a hard time making any UGA lineup this season anyways, she’d likely be the seventh or eighth bars worker and she was basically only on floor last year due to Georgia’s lack of depth.
Interesting that with 14 gymnasts not he 2019 UGA roster and 9 freshmen, 2, sophomores and 2 juniors and 1 senior.
Anyone know what’s the deal with Gracen Standley? It appears she’s on campus still…
Maybe a medical retirement? If that were the case, she could keep her scholarship, remain on campus, and still be involved with the team.
I am glad these athletes are given medical retirements, but I also have to question is it really the decision of the athlete? Or is it somewhat of a forced medical. Georgia likes to claim they never had someone transfer, but so many go on medical. Some schools may be more willing to offer this as an option, but also I have to question why some are simply not given more time to recover. Georgia only has 5 returning athletes, so how is that going to work out in the future. Not sure they can keep this class of 6-7 scholarship athletes in one year, so will this mean a few will see a “medical” in a year or so?
That probably depends a bit on whether UGA is willing to carry 14, 15 scholarship gymnasts when only 12 are on the roster. I don’t know what their $$ situation is these days… it may be nothing.
I don’t know that UGA has a history of malicious injury retirements. CKC has no history of anything at this point, so who knows. I’d point that arrow at Jenny Rowland first.
Speaking of expanding teams- when did Kupets announce she was pregnant? I pulled their Instagram up to check progress on the ’80 million person freshman class’ and it was pretty noticeable. We’ll have to add scheduling pregnancy to match the NCAA season to rehabbing into better shape than pre-injury form to the list of annoyingly competent Courtney Kupets characteristics…