Nastia Liukin Cup Champion Mackenzie Estep: People First, Gymnastics Second

10 Mar Nastia Liukin Cup Champion Mackenzie Estep: People First, Gymnastics Second

Posted at 12:53h in 2025 NCAA Headquarters, 2025 Women's NCAA News, News & Features by Christy Sandmaier 0 Comments

By Christy Sandmaier

Vice President & Co-Publisher

Making Her Mark

For Mackenzie Estep, it’s always people first, gymnastics second. Forever more important to her than her results in competition, is the importance of how the people around her feel. Ensuring everyone has a positive experience no matter the moment or the place – whether that’s day to day at Ascend where she trains, at a competition, or even as she looks ahead to her new journey as an Oklahoma Sooner – Estep is driven most by making a positive mark in all aspects of her life.

“More than anything, I want to leave a mark on my gym more than just the things I’ve accomplished, but how I made people feel,” Estep said. “I want to make sure that people in the gymnastics community know I support everyone, and I want to make sure that they all feel the love in a way. I want to leave more than a mark of, ‘Oh, she won this or she won that.’ I want people to be like, ‘She was a great teammate. She was a great friend. She was a hard worker.’ I think that will always mean more to me than my accomplishments.”

As the newly crowned 2025 Nastia Liukin Cup All-Around Champion in the senior division, Estep’s journey truly came full circle this year. Part of, or maybe all of, the reasons she feels best giving back to the sport the way she does, is due to the nurturing environment at Ascend, the support of her parents and coaches, and being able to rise above her own obstacles. Winning the Nastia Cup was just the start of what she hopes is an incredible year and path forward.

“It’s really still hard to put into words for sure,” she said. “I think it was definitely one of my biggest goals during my gymnastics career. Going out my senior year was definitely a highlight for sure. I think it meant a little bit more this time, too, because last season, Nastia Cup was my last meet. Making it back this year was a big goal for me. I couldn’t have written it any better for sure.”

One year ago, the weekend following the 2024 Nastia Liukin Cup, Estep tore ligaments in her ankle on vault and chipped a piece of bone as well. Recovery was long and Estep found herself questioning her confidence and ability to bounce back for a time. It was her effort and desire to return to gymnastics just as strong if not stronger than before that drove her to focus on doing everything she could to get back.

“I was in a boot for a while. And then I started back. I was non-weight bearing for a little bit, and then I really didn’t start doing gym again until June-ish,” she said. “I definitely struggled a little bit with my confidence. I was a little scared that I wouldn’t be the same gymnast as I was before, or, I wouldn’t accomplish the same things. I made sure to be super diligent with my PT and everything. I tried laser therapy. I talked with my college coaches about what they thought the best recovery would be. I just wanted to make sure that I gave myself the best opportunity to come back and be in the best spot possible when the season came around. For sure, making it back to Nastia and having vault be my best event, it was almost ironic, for sure!”

“Make sure that you just support everyone.”

Competing in the Nastia Liukin Cup has become an incredibly special experience and opportunity for so many athletes since its inception in 2010. Estep is especially appreciative of the time Liukin personally puts into the event to ensure the women feel empowered as athletes and people, and go home having made so many memories and lasting friendships.

“Nastia just goes above and beyond every year to make you feel so special,” she noted. “I have developed so many friendships through just competing with people there. I remember my first year as a junior, I was 12. I remember Kiya Johnson was in my group, and she did the best job making sure I felt so comfortable and supported. At that time, I didn’t really have any friends in the gymnastics community because I was so new to being a level 10. The seniors in that group really took me under their wing and just made sure that I knew what was going on, and they were so supportive. That will always be a super special one to me just for how the seniors treated me, so I made that my goal – to make sure that the young juniors felt like they had a place there. I wanted to make sure that they felt so special.

“Going there, not only do I get to put on this beautiful leotard and compete on a little bit bigger of a stage, but I also get to see all my friends. It’s just such a magical weekend and the best memories come out of it. Nastia always tells us, ‘Go out there and just do your gymnastics because you’ve already accomplished the hard part of making it here. So more than anything, I just want you to have fun today. Make sure that you just support everyone.’ That always resonated with me.”

With a major 2025 goal already accomplished, Estep is focused on finishing her senior year strong, staying healthy, and hopefully making it back to Nationals. “I’d love to finish Nationals on a really good note and just finish my senior year with a bang. I think my first National Championship title came on bars in 2021. So, I’d love to go back to my senior year and get that bar title again. I’d love to get the All-Around title as well, just one more time and finish it on the best note.”

Above and Beyond

Behind Estep one hundred percent is her family. Her parents, and her sister – a former gymnast herself – have been everything to Estep. “My parents are amazing to start off. They’ve always supported me in everything I want to do, and they always go above and beyond to make sure that I have everything I need to succeed, and that I always know that they’re proud of me. I truly think that that’s many of the reasons I’ve been able to accomplish so many things is because they make sure that my sister and I had the tools we need to accomplish them. My sister has been great as well. We did gymnastics together growing up. She ended up getting injured, and she switched to USA weightlifting. She pushes me to be better, and inspires me every day.”

Side by side with her family support is the culture she’s found at Ascend, her second home in so many ways. “My coaches, I truly believe, I would not be where I am today without them,” she said. “They go above and beyond in so many ways, and I am so grateful to have coaches like them. It’s hard to put into words how much I appreciate them. I know all the hard work that they put in to make the gym so successful. My gym culture is great, too. My team, they’re amazing. They always inspire me to be better. I couldn’t ask for better teammates. I truly think my best gymnastics comes when I’m having fun. So I’m super grateful that they do that.”

With a bit of a star status achieved at Ascend, especially returning home as the Nastia Liukin Cup Champion, Estep knows the responsibility of having the little ones looking up to her. And she loves it. Again, she brings it back to kindness and how she wants to make sure they feel.

“I make it a big goal of mine to make sure that I’m always talking to the little kids. Normally after gym, I’ll stay a little bit during stretching, and I’ll talk to my group for sure, and I’ll also make sure to go talk to the little kids for a little bit. They love gymnastics, and they just love to be there, and they’re just always so happy. They just radiate a joy that can make you feel better even after a little bit of a rough practice. I think it’s important because when I was younger, I always looked up to the big kids. It’s important that you share your wisdom with them and make sure that they feel comfortable in the gym setting.”

Estep has also watched and learned from the best every day in the gym. Ascend is home to six-time World Championship medalist and two-time U.S. All-Around silver medalist Shilese Jones, who has recently taken on a bit of a new extra role in the gym.

“I definitely look up to her, and she’s taken on a coaching role at the gym now, too,” Estep said. “It’s been great to be coached by her and get her insight because she does all the skills. It’s been great hearing her techniques and her little pockets of wisdom because she has so many. She’s competed on some of the biggest stages. I look up to her and her work ethic. She’s just a beautiful gymnast. If I could be even a fraction of what she is, I would be over the moon with happiness!”

Sooner Through and Through

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When it came time to decide the next stage in her career, Estep looked to Utah, Oklahoma Florida and LSU. “Recruiting was definitely a whirlwind for sure. I loved the schools that I visited, and I would say all of them were my dream school. My mom kept telling me that, ‘you really can’t go wrong, but there’s a right.’ So I lived by that.”

Like so many student-athletes, it was a gut feeling from the start that ultimately led to Estep’s decision to become a Sooner. “The minute I stepped onto campus at OU, I got goosebumps. (Head coach) KJ (Kindler) and the whole coaching staff does a great job of making you feel so comfortable. They’ve obviously accomplished so many great things. I would love to just be a part or just a portion of the dynasty that they’ve created. I was so grateful when they started reaching out to me and when they offered me a spot. I couldn’t be more excited to begin my journey there.”

Estep is especially looking forward to creating a new floor routine with Kindler and improving her performance level. “I would definitely say that’s one of the things that I could clean up now as a gymnast. I’m excited to get her style of choreography. It’s so unique and just special. I’m excited to learn from her in a way and develop my skills that way. You can just feel the joy radiating off of [the team] in their floor routines and off the side. I’m so excited to be in that moment and get to experience that for myself. I truly think that that’s going to be one of the highlights for sure.”

Dear Mackenzie

“I definitely want to thank my coaches and my parents and my family for sure, and my teammates. I truly couldn’t be there or be here or do the things that I’ve accomplished. Established without them. And I’m definitely going to miss them a lot when I go to college, and it’s going to be bittersweet, but I definitely will never forget everything that they’ve done for me, and I know that I couldn’t have done it without them.

“In a letter to my younger self, honestly, I would pick myself from last year after I got injured, and I would just tell myself to trust the process and that everything happens for a reason. I truly think that doors open and close for a reason. I couldn’t be more grateful for all the things that last year taught me. I developed a bunch of new skills and a new love for the sport and a passion to be out there and just remember how grateful I am to be able to do the things that I get to do on a daily basis. Never regret where you are and be grateful for every moment that comes by.”

Look for Nate’s NCAA Notes each week and stay tuned to InsideGym.com and Inside Gymnastics magazine for spotlight features and interviews throughout the 2025 season!

Nate Salsman, Della Fowler, Megan Roth and Christy Sandmaier provide NCAA coverage for Inside Gymnastics.

Photos by Lloyd Smith for Inside Gymnastics magazine.