2023 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics preview: 5 key storylines to follow
The start of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics season brings with it plenty of interesting storylines, from Sunisa Lee’s swan song to new teams to comebacks and more.
Here are five storylines to follow as the NCAA season begins, and don’t forget to check out our full women’s season preview here.
GymNow will have expanded coverage of both men’s and women’s college gymnastics this season, with the addition of a dedicated men’s writer and women’s writer.
1. Suni’s NCAA swan song
Sunisa Lee is bidding farewell to Auburn and NCAA gymnastics after this season, as the reigning Olympic all-around champion sets her sights on Paris 2024 and defending her gold medal.
Originally tweeted by Auburn Gymnastics (@AuburnGym) on December 17, 2022.
Lee made waves in her freshman season, earning five perfect 10s, winning the NCAA balance beam title, and finishing as the national all-around runner-up. She also revolutionized college gymnastics with her boundary-pushing elite skills, including performing the exceptionally difficult Nabieva in NCAA competition. The sophomore has been sharing clips of her training during the offseason and preseason, and she seems primed to push the boundaries of NCAA gymnastics once again in her second and final season at Auburn.
Of course, Lee’s fellow 2020 Olympic teammates will also be competing in their sophomore seasons and have not yet indicated whether they will continue competing in NCAA after this year, so watch out for Oregon State’s Jade Carey, UCLA’s Jordan Chiles, and Utah’s Grace McCallum.
2. The new kids on the block
Several new teams are joining the NCAA ranks this year, but the first HBCU gymnastics program, Fisk University, is easily the most intriguing of them all. Morgan Price headlines the inaugural team that also bolsters a mix of NCAA veterans and level 10 stars. The team will kick off its inaugural season at the Super 16 meet in Las Vegas vs. #21 Washington, #28 Southern Utah, and #27 North Carolina.
The team also received one vote for the preseason poll, which just speaks to the faith the NCAA world has in this brand new program.
3. Can Florida usurp Oklahoma in the battle of the powerhouses?
While there are certainly other contenders for the NCAA title, preseason No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Florida are the clear favorites.
While Oklahoma is the defending champion, Florida continues its bid to return to the top of women’s college gymnastics since it completed a three-peat in 2015. The Gators have all the makings of a national championship team, and it starts with their star-studded roster that’s a who’s who of current and former elites: 2021 world all-around bronze medalist and 2020 Olympic team alternate Kayla DiCello, 2017 world all-around champion Morgan Hurd, world champion Riley McCusker, 2021 world all-around silver medalist and 2020 Olympic team alternate Leanne Wong, and 2018 Senior Pan Am team champion and all-around silver medalist Trinity Thomas.
4. Lynnzee, Margz, Emily, and Morgi ready to make waves in comebacks
Four outstanding gymnasts – Morgan Hurd, Margzetta Frazier, Emily Lee, and Lynnzee Brown – will make their returns to NCAA after dealing with injuries during the 2022 season.
Originally tweeted by Gators Gymnastics (@GatorsGym) on December 6, 2022.
2017 world all-around champion Hurd is a redshirt freshman at Florida after she missed the 2022 season while she recovered from a torn ACL. Hurd competed bars, beam, and floor at the Gators’ season preview and is one to watch in her college debut season.
After breaking her foot during the first meet of the 2022 season, redshirt senior Frazier competed in the all-around at UCLA’s season preview. The 2021 Pac-12 bars champion seems primed to pick up right where she left off, and of course, we’re hoping for a bestie reunion with Norah Flatley, who transferred to Arkansas for her fifth and final season.
Lee is also making her college debut after tearing her Achilles at the 2021 Olympic trials. The redshirt freshman is expected to make an immediate impact on beam and floor to finally start her NCAA career.
Finally, sixth-year senior Lynnzee Brown returns for what is sure to be an emotional farewell season. Brown has recovered from her second season-ending Achilles injury and proved as much during Denver’s season preview when she stuck her double layout on bars.
5. Spring jumps to Bama
The NCAA world was rocked by the offseason news that longtime Illinois men’s head coach Justin Spring was joining the Alabama women’s program as an assistant coach – a huge blow for men’s NCAA and a huge get for the Crimson Tide’s first-year head coach Ashley Priess Johnston.
“I’m so excited to take on this incredible opportunity at one of the best gymnastics programs in the country,” Spring said when he joined the team in June. “Ashley has put together a cohesive staff that is committed to developing student-athletes in and outside the gym. I look forward to creating a life changing experience for these young women and bringing home SEC and NCAA championships.”
