Michigan
Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
Wolverines to Open 50th Season at Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad
1/7/2026 2:25:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. –- The University of Michigan women's gymnastics team (0-0) opens its 50th season on Saturday (Jan. 10) at the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad at the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Wolverines will compete against Cal, Kentucky and Michigan State starting at 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2.
Notes
• Michigan came in at No. 14 in the WCGA Preseason Poll, returning 14 letterwinners from the 2025 campaign.
• This season, the Wolverines enter their 50th season as a program. Since becoming a program in 1976, Michigan has won 27 Big Ten titles, eight regular-season Big Ten titles and one national championship in 2021. In its 50 seasons, U-M has had 212 All-America citations from 53 student-athletes. The Wolverines have had 17 AAI Award finalists and four winners, including back-to-back winners Natalie Wojcik and Sierra Brooks. Michigan broke the 198-barrier on 12 occasions with a team-high score of 198.525 in 2022. U-M has produced 114 individual Big Ten champions and has had 15 Big Ten Gymnasts of the Year.
• Maile'ana Kanewa-Hermelyn became the seventh head coach in Michigan women's gymnastics history following the retirement of Bev Plocki. Kanewa-Hermelyn has spent seven total seasons with the coaching staff -- six as a full-time assistant (2020-25) and one as a volunteer assistant coach (2019). Kanewa-Hermelyn was the WCGA Assistant Coach of the Year, along with Scott Sherman and Lexi Funk, following the Wolverines' national title in 2021 and is a three-time Regional Assistant Coach of the Year, with her first coming in the 2020 season. During her tenure, Michigan earned its first-ever NCAA championship in 2021 and has won three Big Ten championships and four Big Ten regular-season titles. On the beam, Kanewa-Hermelyn led the Wolverines to a program record 49.625 against both Nebraska and Minnesota in 2023 and was an integral part of Michigan's six weeks of ranking No. 1 nationally on floor after choreographing Michigan's routines.
• Carly Bauman and Reyna Guggino return for their sixth seasons as Wolverines. Bauman competed on the uneven bars, beam and floor in 2025 and was the individual regional champion on uneven bars. The West Des Moines, Iowa, native was the Regional Gymnast of the Year and earned first team All-Big Ten honors after winning 14 event titles and earning 19 scores of 9.900 or higher. Guggino returns after missing the 2025 season due to injury. In 2024, she notched second team All-Big Ten honors as she was in three lineups for the Wolverines. She won four vault titles and had eight scores of 9.900 or better. The Tampa, Fla., native also was named the Big Ten Specialist of the Week on two occasions (Feb. 27 and March 19).
• Sophomore Sophia Diaz and junior Ava Jordan were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch in 2026. Diaz returns for her second season after making an appearance at the NCAA Championships on vault last season. She was a second team All-Big Ten and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree. Diaz won six event titles -- including three on vault, two on uneven bars and one on floor exercise -- while recording a score of 9.900 or higher on six occasions. Diaz was also a WCGA Scholastic All-American and the Team Newcomer of the Year in 2025. Jordan enters her junior season after competing on vault and uneven bars as a sophomore. She recorded her first 9.900 on the uneven bars at the Big Ten Championship last season and was named Most Improved by the team in 2025. Jordan also earned Academic All-Big Ten and WCGA Scholastic All-American honors.
• Michigan welcomes five newcomers for the 2026 season. Gabrielle Gauger competed at IK Gymnastics and was at DEV Nationals in both 2022 and 2024. Anelise Johnson competed for Capital City Flips and was the 2025 DP National Champion on the uneven bars. She is a three-time national qualifier and placed second on the floor and fourth in the all-around at the 2025 regionals. Katelyn Kelly competed for Euro Stars Gymnastics and finished second in the all-around and on the beam at states in 2025 and was a DP National Qualifier in 2024. Myli Lew competed for San Mateo Gymnastics and was the uneven bars champion at the 2025 U.S. Classics. She also competed at the 2025 American Classic. Quincy Walters competed for Texas Dream Gymnastics and won the 2025 national championship on floor. She also placed eighth on beam and ninth in the all-around at nationals.
• The Wolverines will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 17, when they open Big Ten Conference action at Minnesota. The meet is set for 4 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on B1G+.
Players Mentioned
