LAS VEGAS – Rutgers gymnastics begins the 2023 season at the Super 16 Collegiate Challenge, presented by Ozone, on Fri., Jan. 6 at 11 p.m. ET at Orleans Arena and live on Big Ten Network. Competing in the largest women's collegiate invitational with more than 300 gymnasts, the Scarlet Knights will face off against three ranked opponents in No. 20 Georgia, No. 14 Oregon State, and No. 17 Stanford.
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The Four Things to Know...
Senior
Hannah Joyner has been named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch for the 2023 season. Joyner is already one of the most decorated gymnasts in Rutgers history and prepares for her senior season "On the Banks." The first Rutgers gymnast to advance to NCAA Nationals on the balance beam, Joyner is seeking her third consecutive trip to NCAA Regionals this winter. She is the school record holder on beam with a 9.950, as well as the school's standard bearer for most 9.9 or higher scores with 27 in her collegiate career. She is also the first Rutgers gymnast to record a 9.9 in all four events. The three-time All-Big Ten First Team honoree is just as consistent in the classroom with two Scholastic All-America honors and two Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Awards.
Rutgers gymnastics will begin the 2023 season receiving votes in the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) preseason poll. The Scarlet Knights are receiving 50 points in the Top 36 poll, coming in 44th place heading into the new campaign. Rutgers rose to No. 24 in the nation in February during the 2022 season, marking its first national ranking since 2014 – an NCAA Regionals season for the Scarlet Knights. The national attention stems from a mix of strong returning talent and the hype around the 2023 freshmen class. The Scarlet Knights return 18 letterwinners from last year's team, including NCAA Regional qualifiers
Hannah Joyner and
Emily Leese. Many of those 18 contributed to the program-record team score of 196.400 set in March, and the highest Big Ten Championships score in program history (195.750).
Rutgers gymnastics welcomes nine newcomers for the 2023 season - freshmen
Nailah Adams,
Gabrielle Dildy,
Renee Figueroa,
Lainey Link,
Valentina Lorente-Garcia,
Innocent Mensah,
Rachael Riley, and
Harmony Webster, and Yale transfer
Emma David. The class has been ranked No. 15 in the country by College Gym News. The excitement surrounding these nine have caught the eye of the Gymternet, as College Gym News lists Rutgers as one of its eight "Most Intriguing Teams Going into 2023."
Rutgers returned to the national rankings in 2022 for the first time since 2014 as the Scarlet Knights were ranked No. 24 during the season. Rutgers capped a successful 2022 campaign with three gymnasts –
Belle Huang,
Hannah Joyner and
Emily Leese – qualifying for the NCAA Regionals, marking the most in a single season since 2018. The Scarlet Knights recorded their highest team score at the 2022 Big Ten Championships with a total of 195.750. It also ranked as the ninth-highest team score in the program record books. Joyner was named to the Big Ten All-Championship team as she finished seventh overall in the all-around. Rutgers recorded its highest overall score in program history, a mark previously set in 2014 with a 196.400 in the regular-season finale.
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