06 Jan 2024 Men’s NCAA Preview!
2024 Men’s NCAA Preview
We got the Inside scoop from the coaches of the NCAA’s top six teams as the 2024 season begins…
Stanford
Rank in 2023: 1st
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 1st
Inside Gym Outlook: Winning five titles in a row is no easy task, which is why it’s only been done once in NCAA history (Nebraska, 1979-83), but if any team can join that ultra-exclusive club, it’s Stanford. With six of Team USA’s 19 National Team members on their current NCAA squad, including two 2023 World medalists, the Cardinal dynasty looks poised to dominate the NCAA field once again.
Head Coach Thom Glielmi’s Take…
Key Athletes: “This is a difficult one to narrow down. Asher Hong, definitely, as he brings big scoring potential on most events. After that, it’s between Colt Walker, Khoi Young and Taylor Burkhart. I’m going to give the edge to Taylor, as he will be in the mix on every event and brings high scoring potential on most.”
Secret Weapon: “Nick Kuebler or Brandon Nguyen. Brandon is doing the all-around, so he will be an essential contributor, but Nick has three big events. If you made me choose, I’d say Nick, as his scoring potential is significant on three events.”
2024 Goals: “To have healthy guys throughout the season—so we will balance difficulty and execution to do that. After that, it’s about having depth on each event, hitting 30-for-30 competitions—which is always challenging—and putting the best team on the floor come March and April.”
On Leading a Dynasty: “Dynasties come and go, but having consistency in our team culture has been key. In recent years, the entire team has been on board with pushing each other while supporting each other. They’ve become cognizant of being part of something bigger than themselves. Being part of a collegiate team is something special, and I want to provide my student-athletes a tremendously positive and impactful experience. My hope is they recognize this early in their collegiate careers and embrace the challenges.”
Michigan
Rank in 2023: 2nd
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 2nd
Inside Gym Outlook: If any team stands in the way of Stanford’s destiny, it’s Michigan. The Wolverines nipped at the Cardinal’s heels in 2023 and would love to end their decade-long Championship drought in 2024.
Head Coach Xiao Yuan’s Take…
Key Athletes: “World medalists Fred Richard and Paul Juda, no question. Last year Paul was injured, so to have both this year, together for the first time at Michigan, is very fortunate. They’re not only talented across all six events, but also such hard-working guys, providing great leadership and pushing the whole team in the right direction. Everyone in the gym can see it happening. It’s an exciting environment.”
Secret Weapon: “Maybe not a big secret, since he’s on the National Developmental Team, but Landen Blixt. He’s really improved a lot coming into his sophomore season and I think he’s going to have a big year. He has upped his difficulty more than anyone else on the team, and his potential is huge. I think he’ll be the next one to look to.”
2024 Goals: “We want to be the No.1 team. I’m not afraid to say that, and I think we’re ready to make that jump. Two years ago, the gap between Stanford and Michigan was 10 points. Last year it was 2.5, and this year we have Paul Juda. That’s what the team is looking to. That’s our No. 1 goal. Everyone knows that Stanford is the leader, we are all just trying to catch them, and I think we’re the closest anyone has been. To win, everything matters: Start Value, consistency, execution—and I know we’ve improved all of that. There are no guarantees in sport, but we want to go out there, do our best, and give ourselves the opportunity to win it all.”
On Playing the Long Game: “If we don’t win a National Championship this year, we won’t stop trying. Winning a National Championship is something very special. I’ve been lucky enough to do that six times as an assistant, first at Oklahoma and then here with Michigan. It would be special to do that as a head coach, but it’s really about this team. They are determined, and we are moving in the right direction to achieve that goal. They are representing themselves, but also the next generation. The goal is to keep improving every meet until the end, and then keep improving after that. To show the nation that Michigan is here for the long run.”
Illinois
Rank in 2023: 3rd
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 3rd
Inside Gym Outlook: The Illini made major noise at the 2023 NCAAs with a third-place finish, Illinois’ best since their 2012 National Championship win, and adds a stacked freshman class to seven returning All-Americans, making them a legit contender to return to the podium.
Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro’s Take…
Key Athletes: “We don’t have that single [superstar], but our anchor guys—Connor McCool on floor, Ashton Anaya on rings, and Brandon Dang on pommel horse—will be crucial for us. They represent our three highest Start Values, and all have the potential to be National Champions.”
Secret Weapon: “Tate Costa is going to be a big one for us. In my 17 years at Illinois, as a gymnast and coach, I’ve never seen anyone work as hard as him. He does everything all the way, and he’s continually improving, every single day. He’s someone we’re very excited to see where that improvement pays off for him. Our entire sophomore class are walk-ons, and I’m really impressed with how they’ve grown. Another is Ryan Vanichtheeranont, who is one of the cleanest athletes I’ve ever seen, and is really strong on high bar.”
2024 Goals: “My goals are always in the preparation, and they’ve done it. They’ve done the work. I’m unbelievably proud right now, and there’s nothing they can do this year that will change that. They’ve bought into everything we’ve said, and the passion is through the roof. When it comes to the competition floor, what happens, happens. They’ve done the mental training, the physical work in the gym. Obviously, we have statistical goals—to push our Start Value into the 455-456 range, and maintain our execution scores, pushing towards an 8.7 average by NCAAs—but, in the end, my goals for them are maintaining our core values, our growth mindset, and our fight.”
Biggest Challenge: “Tempering expectations. Last year, we had none. We were preseason No. 8 and the talent of the team was not exceptionally high. But they got the job done, because they put the work in, and maximized our potential. That’s how we ended up finishing third, and I think it helped that we were the underdogs, which we’re not anymore. Our freshman class is, I think, the best in the nation, but they still need some time to develop. We must make sure we don’t let expectations take us out of the moment. At the same time, we have seven All-Americans from last year—that’s one third of our team. So, those guys are our leaders now—veterans—and they’re ready to take us to the next level.”
Oklahoma
Rank in 2023: 4th
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 4th
Inside Gym Outlook: No team has finished in the top two more often than Oklahoma (12 titles and 13 runner-up finishes), and no coach has more National Championship trophies than Mark Williams (9). After spending nearly half the 2023 season ranked No. 1, despite a slew of injuries, the shorthanded Sooners fell to fourth in finals, a result they won’t want to repeat.
Head Coach Mark Williams’ Take…
Key Athletes: “Fuzzy Benas, Emre Dodanli and Ignacio Yockers. This trio has the highest scoring potential and will have a major impact on our success this season. Fuzzy is returning from a year-plus out with injuries is to once again do the all-around. Emre is a star on four events and came back from World Championships with a new outlook on how his gymnastics stacks up internationally. And Ignacio can be a huge difference maker on pommel horse, with a high start value—6.5-6.6 right now—and the ability to execute that level of difficulty very, very well.”
Secret Weapon: “I’m hoping it will be Leo Koike. Leo was born in the U.S. but grew up and trained in Japan. He had to sit out his freshman year after shoulder surgery serious enough that doctors weren’t even sure he’d be able to come back. But he’s worked hard and is very close now on everything but rings. He has tremendous lines, a fair amount of difficulty, and good technique. Now, it’s putting it all together, which is still a work in progress with his endurance and consistency after being out for basically a full year, but if he comes along the way we hope he will, he could help us on four events.”
2024 Goals: “This team absolutely wants to finish in the top three at NCAAs. We’re hosting our conference championships, so we are hoping the home environment gives us that boost we need to compete for a conference win. We take every meet we go into seriously. As Sooners, we always compete to win. We feel like we didn’t finish the way we normally do at the NCAA Championships, and we’re carrying that with us into this season, where we want to finish in a better place emotionally. We’re in a much better position to do that than we were last year at this time, in terms of the health and depth, and I think that’s going to go a long way towards getting us back to where we want to be.”
On Their Unfamiliar Role as Underdogs: “We knew we didn’t have a great NCAA Championships, so we’re starting from a place where I think we do feel like we have something to prove. I’ve seen a ‘we need to work harder’ mentality with this group. It’s not always true that hard work can overcome all, but the inverse IS always true—that if you’re not working hard, there’s no chance to move up. I’ve always tried to instill in my teams that no one will outwork us, and if we follow the plan, the plan will work, and I do think we’ll be better than we were at the end of last year. There’s always a bit of luck involved in staying healthy, but the one thing in this sport you can control is the effort you put in, so to give up that element is like conceding the meet before you ever compete.”
Nebraska
Rank in 2023: 5th
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 5th
Inside Gym Outlook: The storied Husker program has been knocking on the door of a resurgence for the past several seasons. Arguably no one is hungrier for a return to the top than Nebraska, whose last national title came in 1994. At the rate the Huskers are adding top talent, a return to those glory days might not be far off.
Head Coach Chuck Chmelka’s Take…
Key Athletes: “Of course, Taylor Christopulos. He made National Team and had an awesome summer. He’s definitely our leader. Sam Phillips is outstanding and dynamic. We got guys in areas coming up that could really, really do well, or not, but those are our two leaders, who we’ll look for to carry the load when needed.”
Secret Weapon: “Asher Cohen. He had a great freshman year, a great summer, and he’s doing very well right now. Toby Liang is killing it right now, too. Our two sophomores. You get these kids in August, and you get them through that freshmen year, and then you really get to know them and find out what they’ve got over the summer. Those two are our future leaders, no doubt.”
2024 Goals: “We’re not holding anything back. We want to win a National Championship, be Big Ten Champions. We have more talent than I’ve seen on a Nebraska team since the 1970s. I like where we’re at right now, and I wouldn’t say that if I didn’t mean it. I genuinely think we’re pretty good, and if we don’t show that, I’ll be disappointed in the job I did. If I’m even just an average coach, we should do well. We’re continually building. We’re continually addressing our weaknesses—what we need to do to win. Are we there yet? Truthfully, probably not, but I like the direction. Somebody’s got to win, that’s why we all compete. The goal is always to be your best when it matters most, and our direction to that is positive.”
On Defending Nebraska’s Legacy: “Truthfully, these kids weren’t even born when we were doing those things. For me, and coach Jim (Hartung), who were part of it, it matters a lot, but some of my athletes ask me if I even did gymnastics. They don’t even know because I don’t talk about it much. Getting back to that place where we’re a contender has been a process that has taken longer than I’d hoped it would, but I finally like where we’re at. It’s been a fight, but it’s been a good fight. There are a lot of good athletes, a lot of good teams. To get into the top four is a heck of an achievement, let alone winning. You have to do a lot of things right to excel enough to win any trophy. For many years, we weren’t even qualifying to finals, so getting there is a milestone. So, the first step was getting to the finals, now the second is bringing home a trophy, and third will be winning the whole darn thing.”
Penn State
Rank in 2023: 6th
2024 Pre-Season Rank: 6th
Inside Gym Outlook: Penn State has a reputation for stealthy success, sneaking up on the stats to claim three titles since 2000, and 12 in school history, the most of any program (tied with Oklahoma). Rarely splashy, but always steady, and consistently at their best as the season finishes—never count out the Nittany Lions.
Head Coach Randy Jepson’s Take…
Key Athletes: “Obviously, Josh Karnes. He’s a National Team guy, a World University Games medalist, and a top all-arounder. He’s just a phenom, and he’s doing really well right now. I think he’s going to have a spectacular year. Also, must mention Matt Cormier and Michael Jaroh, who are key guys for us on multiple events.”
Secret Weapon: “We have a freshman from Finland, Akseli Karsikas, who is very talented. We need to get some experience under his belt, but he’s a beautiful gymnast to watch, and I think he may surprise some people.”
2024 Goals: “To be healthy. We haven’t been healthy yet, as we’ve been dealing with some illness, and we’re going to get off to a slow start this season because of that. But, once we get healthy, I think we’ll be in a good place as the season progresses. We only lost one routine from last year, so we’ve got quite a bit of experience. We’ve got more depth than we did last year, and I think we’re in a good spot to just let it rip. You always want to be as solid as you can be, so our goal is to hit 30-for-30 every time we go out on the floor, and the results will take care of themselves.”
Key Coaching Philosophy: “Make it about the guy next to you. That’s always been the hallmark of our team—don’t get so caught up in what you need, but instead focus on what everyone else needs. When everyone does that, and encouragement becomes the expectation, everyone gets what they need. You can’t just focus only on the very end because the journey is what gets you there. Our teams that have won have been the ones who invested in the journey—who enjoyed the entire experience.”
For our 2024 Men’s NCAA Schedule, Click Here!
Photos by Jessica Frankl for Inside Gymnastics
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