CollegeGymFans.com Top 10 Incoming Women's Classes for 2005-2006

CollegeGymFans.com has been tracking incoming classes for the last five seasons.  Last season, we made an attempt to rank the incoming women's recruiting classes for the very first time.  Once again, like gluttons for punishment, we're attempting to rate the Top 10 Incoming Classes for the 2005-2006 season.  Last season, when we embarked on this daunting task for the first time, the first question we faced was about the method or criteria to use.  Once again, we evaluated some sort of qualitative criteria, such as placements or scores, that could remove subjectivity from the analysis.  As last season, we came to the realization that this method proved to be biased towards large recruiting classes, did not accommodate important data like injuries, and proved to be overly complex.  Its especially difficult to compare the impact of a top elite versus a top L10, especially when both will be competing under the same modified code.

In other sports comparisons, notably in the case of revenue team sports, the subjective rankings are done by a poll or evaluation of a jury based on the available data.  Therefore, after compiling a set of qualitative data,  the final ranking was determined by committee debate through subjective evaluations of skill set, execution quality, and results in major competitions.  The impact of major injuries and competition status in the last year were given extra weight.  In compiling the rankings we considered incoming athletes with no collegiate experience on an NCAA team, including recruits and walkons. Redshirt freshmen and transfers from other college teams are not factored into our rankings.  The full list is available at this link.  Therefore, without any further excuse-making, here is our 2006 assessment of Women's Collegiate Gymnastics incoming classes.    

1.  Alabama:  The Crimson Tide shoots to the top of our 2006 ranking, with a large and talented class of scholarship athletes and high level walkons.  This class, as a whole, edges out the pairs of international elite superstars that highlight the classes at the other schools.  This decision was much more difficult to arrive at than last year's ranking; the decision was ultimate tipped by the addition of elite Brittany Magee, who originally intended to defer entry until 2006-2007.  Coach Patterson's class includes Melanie Banville, Ashley Ford, Brittany Magee, Cassie Martin, Amanda Montgomery, Ashley O'Neal, Courtney Priess, and Bianca Puello.  

Headlining the Bama class is Canadian National Champ and Olympian Melanie Banville, a top international performer with a high level of skill and execution on every event.  She placed 24th AA at the Syndey Olympics, and dominated the 2005 Canadian Championships (1st AA, 1st VT, 1st FX, 2nd (t) UB, 2nd (T) BB).  Sr. International Elite Brittany Magee placed 22nd AA at the 2004 US Championships, but had to withdraw from the 2005 VISA Championships due to a back injury.  Despite this major concern, she had previously demonstrated top form at the 2005 US Classic, placing 13th.  These two elite athletes match up well with the top elites in the other recruiting classes, but it's the balance of the class that earns our nod.  After all, the maximum score on any one event is still a 10.0 (well, at least in the NCAA).

Hill's L10 Cassie Martin is reportedly looking strong in pre-season training after having been bothered by a back injury last season, having even upgraded vault (Omelianchik), her weakest event.  Known for her excellent lines, she placed 3rd AA and 1st (t) FX at the 2004 L10 Nationals.  In 2003, she did even better, placing 1st AA, 1st (t) UB, 1st (t) FX and 2nd on BB.  Another L10, Bianca Puello, placed 7th AA and 3rd on VT at the 2004 L10 Nationals.   She was also 6th AA and 2nd (t) on VT in 2003.  CGA's Courtney Priess is looking strong in pre-season training, returning to the form that saw her placed 6th AA and 2nd on UB as the 2003 L10 Nationals.  She also placed 33rd AA in 2005 and 7th AA in 2002.  Bama's strength continues, with Ashley O'Neal, who tumbles a double front on FX and off balance beam (a Super E skill).  She finished 7th AA at the 2005 L10 Nationals and 8th AA in 2002.  Placing 36th(t) AA at the same meet while still working back from injury, Amanda Montgomery is another former L10 Nationals team member (4th in 2003).  Finally, Ashley Ford was the 2005 L10 Alabama state champ.           

2.  Georgia:  Edged out in our rankings, UGA sports the two best athletes in each competitive level in the 2005-2006 recruiting class, in Courtney Kupets and Tiffany Tolnay.  They also garnered L10 standout Abby Stack, Paige Burns, and Emily Bridgers.  Kupets, is of course, the sister of current Gym Dawg Ashley.  The elite standout took it easy in 2005, after earning a silver and bronze at the 2004 Olympics.  Most notably, she was also the 2004 US AA Co-Champion and the 2002 UB World Champion.  She came back from an Achilles tear in 2003 to win the Olympic Trials, and has demonstrated strong form in the Fall training session.  Texan Tolnay has been dominant at the L10 level the last several years, competing with elite-level difficulty (Yurchenko 1 1/2 on VT, double arabian on FX) and execution.  She won L10 National titles in 2005 (AA, UB, BB, FX), 2004 (AA, BB), and 2003 (AA, VT, BB {t} ).  Both athletes have the potential to be major AA forces at the NCAA level.

The third signee, Abby Stack, is a L10 known for her high skill level (pike full in and triple full on FX).  She made the 2004 L10 JO National team with a 4th place finish in the AA and a 1st on FX.  She placed 40th AA and 7th (t) on FX in 2005, and also won UB and placed 12th AA in 2003.  Another L10, Paige Burns of Orlando Metro, is coming back from a major injury in 2005, suffered before the National meet.  She placed 2nd AA and 1st on UB at the 2005 Region 8 Regionals.  She also qualified to L10 Nationals in 2003, and has demonstrated a fast recovery. Finally, Bridgers is a 2001 and 2004 L10 Nationals qualifier from Gwinnett.  She placed 40th AA in 2004 and was 2nd on FX in 2001.

3.  UCLA:  The UCLA Bruins seek to regain their National title, based in part on a large and talented frosh class.  In aggregate, this class challenges both Bama and UGA for the top slot.  We're placing them third in this listing, due in large to the lack of competitive history in the last year for three of the athletes.  The class is led by Kristina Comforte, a sr. international elite and National Team member.  She is the top incoming US finisher at the US Championships, having placed 6th AA at the 2005 VISA Championships.  Known as a top vaulter (double twisting Yurchenko), she will be outstanding for the Bruins as an AAer.  Another top vaulter (double twisting Yurchenko), Melissa Chan dropped back from the elite ranks several years ago and was a dominant force at L10.  However, she took a break from competition in 2005, creating some questions about her competitive readiness.  In 2004 she captured 1st at the L10 Nationals in the AA, VT and BB.  She also finished 1st AA in 2003 and 1st AA, VT and BB in 2002.

Twins Jalynne and Janelle Dantzscher also took time off in 2005 to focus on accelerating their academic programs.  They ended up graduating one year early, in time to resume the legacy started by their sister Jamie.  Both dropped down from the elite ranks and in 2004, Jalynne captured a L10 National title in the AA, including a tie for 1st on FX.  In 2003, Janelle placed 10th (t) AA and 4th BB at the L10 Nationals.  A year previously, Jalynne placed 20th AA at the 2002 US Championships as a jr. international elite.  Another Californian, Maranda Smith, has always targeted being a Bruin, and she'll rush to do so.  She'll graduate early and join the Bruins in January, helping strengthen the class overall.  She placed 11th AA and 1st (t) on FX at the 2005 L10 Nationals.  In 2004, she tied for 1st on VT, placing 14th overall.  She made the JO National Team in 2003, placing 4th AA.  

Two additional athletes complete the Bruin squad, Alyssa Kitasoe and Ariana Berlin.  Kitasoe is a L10 from Airborne, the same club as Chan.  A gymnast with good lines, she has not competed at L10 Nationals since 2002, when she placed 14th AA and 6th on BB.  She tied for 13th AA at the Region I Regionals this year.  Berlin is a former jr. national elite who quit the sport for several years after being involved in a major accident.  She is working her way back quickly, and recently showed top skills like a full twisting back handspring (Kochetkova) on BB.  

4.  Utah:  Utah's incoming class features just three members, and what they lack in quantity they more than make up in quality, making our assessment of the incoming classes more difficult.  The two signees in this class match up well with signees at any of the top schools.  Kristina Baskett, Nina Kim, and walkon Beth Rizzo are all expected to see action this season.  Baskett is a former international elite gymnast who dropped back to L10 last spring and won titles in the AA, VT and FX.  She has finished as high as 18th AA at the US Championships and sports such top level skills as a double twisting Yurchenko and pike full-in on FX.  Under the reduced demands of the NCAA code and the avoidance of injuries, she could excel to even greater heights.

Nina Kim sat out much of 2005, but appears to be working back strongly during the Fall pre-season.  This international elite from WOGA is a top performer on all four events, and has marked solid finishes at the National level.  She placed 16th AA at the 2004 US Championships and was 6th AA in 2002, her most successful year.  The third frosh, Beth Rizzo, has been a pleasant surprise for Coach Greg Marsden.  The 11th place finisher at the 2005 Region V L10 Regionals, she has shown strong skills in the pre-season, including a double layout on FX.          

5.  Stanford:  Stanford continues to recruit well, and this year is no exception, with Kelly Fee, Nicole Ourada and Heather Purnell joining the 2005-2006 squad.  A top contender for the top four in our rankings, we placed them down slightly due to the ACL injury to Purnell.  Fee is a senior international elite from IGI, and placed 15th (t) AA at the 2005 VISA (US) Championships.  She sports balanced elite-level difficulty on every event, including a Yurchenko 1 1/2 on vault, a tuck full on BB, and tumbles a double arabian and triple full on FX.

Ourada is a former jr. international elite from LaFleur's who dropped back to L10.  At the 2005 L10 Nationals, she placed 2nd AA and 3rd FX, where she mounts with a tuck full-in.  She also placed 6th AA and tied for 2nd on VT and BB at the 2004 L10 Nationals.  The third recruit, Purnell, is a 2004 Canadian Olympian and 2003 World Championship team member for Canada.  She placed 2nd AA at the 2004 Canadian Championships and won the 2003 and 2005 Elite Canada meet.  However, she tore her ACL at the 2005 American Cup, which has afforded her time to rehab her knee and rest her ailing back.  Her sister Ashley is on the Stanford track team.  

6.  ASU:  ASU sports two of their highest profile recruits in years, plus a variety of signees, early grads and walkons that will help the short-handed Sun Devils.  Tia Orlando and Nicole Harris, both who trained at the Parkettes for much of their elite careers, will be counted on heavily as AAers.  They are joined a trio of local athletes:  early signee Ashlee Hinkle, and early grads Tiana Jean and Ashley Toner.  In addition, Vanessa Rocca and Carrie Finley complete the class.  Harris is a former sr. international elite who stepped back from the sport to move back home last year.  In 2004, she placed 10th AA, 3rd on UB, and 3rd on BB at the US Championships.  However, a broken foot sidelined her prior to the Olympic Trials.  She also placed 9th AA at the 2002 US Championships.

Orlando is another early graduate, a senior international elite who took much of the year off to nurse injuries and to enter school in January.  A 2004 Olympic Trials participant, she placed 8th AA at the 2004 US Championships.  Known for her tumbling prowess (split leg double layout; double front dismount), she has captured several National titles on FX.  Jean is another early grad, having recently switched to the Spini's Desert Lights club before entering school.  She placed 29th AA and 4th (t) BB at the 2005 L10 Nationals, and was 30th AA in 2004.  She placed 14th (t) AA, 1st (t) UB, and 3rd (t) VT at the 2003 meet, and tied for 1st on VT in 2002.  The third early grad, Toner, is a former jr. elite and two time L10 National qualifer.  She placed 31st (t) AA in 2003.    

Arizona native Hinkle is also strong on the FX, a L10 who tied for 1st on FX at the 2002 L10 Nationals.  She also placed 32nd AA at the 2004 L10 Nationals, while representing Phoenix Gymnastics Academy.  Hailing from PA's XCel club, Rocca is a L10 with both club and high school experience.  She tied for 1st on BB at the 2004 PA L10 state championships.  The final frosh, Finley, is a L10 from Will-Moor.  A former Parkette, she placed 50th AA at the 2002 L10 Nationals.  More recently, she won vault at the 2005 NJ L10 State meet.    

7.  Florida:  Much like Utah's class, Florida's sports two outstanding elite-level gymnasts in Melanie Sinclair and Corey Hartung.  Floridian Sinclair is expected to join the team in January, after having her training for the 2005 World Championships derailed by a knee injury in October.  Sinclair has been outstanding at the elite level when healthy, including a solid performance at the 2004 Olympic Trials, where she finished 12th.  She also placed 2nd (t) on the UB and 4th on VT at the 2004 World Cup.  Earlier in 2005, she placed 2nd on VT at the American Cup.  Hartung, a former elite from Hill's with great lines and flexibility, dropped back to L10 last season.  She placed 5th AA, 2nd on BB and 3rd on FX.  As an elite, she placed 26th AA at the 2004 US Championships and 18th AA in 2003.  A gymnast who sometimes had troubles getting her SVs high enough at the elite level, she should excel as a collegian.  

8.  Oklahoma:  We're placing OU in the 8th position in our rankings, by taking in consideration both their frosh signees (Haley DeProspero and Ashley Jackson) and a newcomer with college credits (Kiwi Redmond), but not Lori Winn, a transfer from UCLA.  Undoubtably, this is the strongest Sooner recruiting class since Steve Nunno took over as Head Coach.  Headlining the class is DeProspero, who successfully rebounded from a knee injury to place 17th AA at the 2005 VISA (US) Championships.  She also placed 24th AA at the 2003 US Championships.  Continuing to show strong form and big skills (double layout on FX), she should be a big force for the Sooners this year.  

Another frosh, Ashley Jackson, comes to OU from Michigan's Geddart's Twistars.  She placed 5th (t) AA, 3rd (t) BB, and 5th (t) on FX at the 2004 L10 Nationals.  She missed qualifying for Nationals this year, placing 9th AA and 1st on FX at the tough Region V L10 Regionals.  Also joining the OU squad is Gina Lesko, a L10 from the same club as DeProspero, the University of Gymnastics in Texas.  The big variable in this year's class of newcomers is Redmond.  OU announced in July that she had signed a grant in aid to begin school at midyear, and we confirmed with them that she is expected to join the team.  Redmond tied for 2nd AA at the 2005 L10 Nationals, after a 7th place finish in 2004.  She also placed 2nd AA in 2004, and won the FX title in 2002, 2003 and 2004.  She won the AA title outright in 2002.  

9.  Nebraska:  Nebraska's 2005-2006 class includes Sabrina Long, Tricia Woo and Kylie Stone.  Stone is perhaps the most accomplished; she's a 2004 Canadian Olympian and the 2004 Canadian AA Champ.  In 2003, at the World Championships, she placed 14th AA in her best international finish.  She was 2nd AA at the 2005 Canadian Championships, but reportedly broke her leg this fall, causing her to miss the 2005 World Championships.  As we take injuries into consideration, that has caused us to slot this class in the 9th position overall.

Joining Stone are two US L10s, Krafft Academy's Long and West Valley's Woo.  Long is a former jr. international elite who placed 6th AA and 4th on BB at the 2005 L10 Nationals.  She placed 28th AA and 5th (t) on BB at the 2004 L10 Nationals.  She captured the VT title at the 2003 L10 Nationals, where she also placed 10th (t) AA and 2nd on FX.  She reportedly is training a 1 1/2 twisting Yurchenko for the upcoming season.  Californian Woo placed 22nd AA and 6th on BB at the 2005 L10 Nationals.  She also placed 12th AA in 2004, and was 4th (t) on VT in 2003.  She reportedly is training well in the Fall pre-season, having added a double layout on FX.                   

10.  Michigan:  After much consideration, Michigan occupies the final spot in our rankings.  Michigan's class consists of a trio of top L10s:  Becky Bernard, Huneth Lor and Tatjana Thuener-Rego.  Bernard is a L10 from Ohio's FLYTZ USA.  Known for her prowess on the UB, she placed 1st on the event in 2004 and 2003.  She also placed 10th AA in 2004.  In 2003, she made the L10 National team by placing 2nd AA and 4th (t) on FX.  She missed Nationals in 2005 by finishing 10th at Regionals.

Lor is a L10 who trained at Aerials and Naperville in Illinois.  She placed 7th AA and 4th (t) UB at the 2005 L10 Nationals.  She also placed 7th AA in 2004 and tied for 5th AA in 2003.  With solid skills including a triple flight series on BB (bhs, layout, bhs), she will be a stable addition to the Wolverine squad.  Hailing from Florida, Thuener-Rego is a powerful tumbler who made the L10 National Team in 2004 with a 2nd place AA finish.  She also won FX that year (arabian double front), and placed 3rd on UB and 3rd (t) on BB.  This past season, she placed 4th (t) on UB and 36th (t) AA.  She also placed 19th AA at the 2003 L10 Nationals.

Bubbling Under...                 

Other teams that were considered for the top 10, but were slotted just below Michigan include Oregon State, Missouri, and Cal.  Oregon State's six member incoming class is headlined by Tasha Smith, a three time L10 National Team member.  The Beavers also sport L10s Brooke Barclay (1st VT, 3rd FX at 2004 L10 Nationals), Kera Bolen, Jami Lanz (2005 Region II L10 Regional AA Champ), Cassandra Rowell, and Abbi Thomas.  This class is certain to make its impact in the lineups, as demonstrated by recent intrasquad meets.

Missouri's class is their best in years, with local standouts Alicia Hatcher and Adrienne Perry.  Perry is a two-time L10 National team member with a trio of top six L10 Nationals finishes to her credit.  Hatcher is another two-time L10 National team member, who captured a National Title on UB in 2001.  She placed 9th AA at L10 Nationals in 2004, 2nd in 2003, and 4th in 2002.

And finally, Cal's 10 member class includes Canadian elite Lydia Williams, former jr. international elite Bridgette Glass, and top ten placing L10s Jessica Kelley and Joanna Bennett.  Cal's class would rank higher, if some of the key top athletes have not been hampered in recent years by injuiries.