Women's Gymnastics
Maile'ana Kanewa-Hermelyn
- Title:
- Head Coach
Maile'ana Kanewa-Hermelyn enters her second season as the head coach of the Michigan women’s gymnastics team. Kanewa-Hermelyn spent seven total seasons with the coaching staff – six as a full-time assistant (2020-2025) and one as a volunteer assistant coach (2019) prior to being named the head coach on July 16, 2025.
Kanewa-Hermelyn is the seventh head coach in Michigan program history, dating back to 1976, and assumes full control of the U-M women’s gymnastics program following the retirement of 36-year head coach Bev Plocki.
In her first season as the head coach Michigan moved up seven spots in the national rankings as it finished the regular season ranked 10th nationally after ranking 17th nationally in 2025. Kanewa-Hermelyn was instrumental in raising U-M’s NQS to 197.111 in the 2026 campaign after earning an NQS of 196.945 in the 2025 campaign. Furthermore, Michigan earned six scores of 197.000 or better in the 2026 campaign, doubling its three total from the 2025 season. The Wolverines earned a season-best score of 197.475 at the Big Ten Quad Meet. Michigan started the Kanewa-Hermelyn era with a 197.225 at Sprouts as it broke the Michigan beam record and earned its second straight Sprouts title.
U-M ranked in the top 15 nationally on all four events as it ranks fifth on beam, ninth on floor, 13th on vault and 15th on uneven bars. In 2026, Michigan broke the beam record with a 49.650, while also posting the fourth highest score in program history with a 49.600 on the beam. Furthermore, Michigan’s score of 49.600 on the floor ranks in the top 20 all-time in program history. Kanewa-Hermelyn led Michigan to a conference-leading five All-Big Ten honoree as Carly Bauman and Jahzara Ranger earned first team honors and Kayli Boozer, Sophia Diaz and Quincy Walters all earned second team honors. Additionally, Walters was named to the All-Freshman Team in a dynamic group of freshmen across the conference. In 2026, Michigan tied or broke career-highs on 40 occasions, while it took home 31 individual event titles, including four straight beam titles from Boozer and six floor titles from Bauman. Finally, Michigan had 70 scores of 9.900 or better.
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 national title in the 2021 season and has won three Big Ten Championships and four Big Ten regular season titles.
Kanewa-Hermelyn helped coach the Wolverines to their 27th Big Ten Title in the 2023 campaign and earn six scores of 198+. On the beam, Kanewa-Hermelyn led the Wolverines to a program record 49.625 against both Nebraska and Minnesota and was an integral part of Michigan's six weeks ranking No. 1 nationally on floor after choreographing Michigan's routines. In 2024, Kanewa-Hermelyn's beam team ranked as high as sixth nationally, while she helped the Wolverines floor squad to a No. 4 ranking and the vault to a No. 23 ranking. During the 2025 season, sophomore Kayli Boozer was the College Gym News Breakthrough Athlete of the Year after breaking into three lineups with the help of Kanewa-Hermelyn.
After the national championship season, the Wolverines topped the national rankings for nine straight weeks to start the 2022 season and continued to set a new standard for Michigan gymnastics. The Wolverines set a program record with a 198.525 at Rutgers, which at the time ranked as the sixth-highest score in NCAA history. In the same meet, U-M set a program record on the vault with a 49.875, the second highest in NCAA history at the time, which included three straight perfect 10.0s. Michigan also broke its previous floor record, recording a 49.750 at home against Auburn and West Virginia.
In her second season as a full-time assistant coach, she helped Michigan to its first national championship with a program-best 198.2500. The Wolverines eclipsed the 198 mark for the first time in 2021 and ended the season with four scores of 198.000 or higher. U-M also broke the U-M balance beam (49.600) and uneven bars (49.725) records, while notching the second-best score in program history on the vault with a 49.800. The Wolverines finished the regular season ranked in the top 15 in all four events, including leading the nation on the vault, and went into the NCAA Championships ranked second nationally.
Following the 2020 season, she was named the WCGA Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year. U-M won the 2020 Big Ten regular season title before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kanewa-Hermelyn coached the team to a NCAA Championship appearance and fifth-place finish in 2019. The Wolverines finished second at the Ann Arbor NCAA Regional and won both the 2019 Big Ten Championship and Big Ten regular-season title with a 9-0 record. The team had four gymnasts earn eight All-America honors, including a NCAA Champion on balance beam (Natalie Wojcik). Three gymnasts combined for four Big Ten individual titles. Six Wolverines were named to the All-Big Ten team, including Wojcik, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Kanewa-Hermelyn was a gymnast at Oklahoma from 2012-16 and was a part of two national championship teams in 2014 and 2016. She earned All-America honors on both vault and floor in 2014 and finished fourth on vault and as the NCAA runner-up on floor. She also was a two-time Big 12 vault champion (2013, 2014).
As a senior, Kanewa-Hermelyn was a member of the captain's table for student-athletes. She earned NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors all four years and was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. She earned the Athletics Council Achievement Award in 2015-16 and graduated from Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in human relations in 2016.
Upon graduation, Kanewa-Hermelyn was a student assistant coach at Oklahoma where she helped coach the team to the third national title in program history.
Kanewa-Hermelyn received her master's degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma in May 2018. While in graduate school, she worked as a graduate assistant in athletic development for the Sooners, aiding in fundraising and growing a donor base.
Kanewa-Hermelyn is the seventh head coach in Michigan program history, dating back to 1976, and assumes full control of the U-M women’s gymnastics program following the retirement of 36-year head coach Bev Plocki.
In her first season as the head coach Michigan moved up seven spots in the national rankings as it finished the regular season ranked 10th nationally after ranking 17th nationally in 2025. Kanewa-Hermelyn was instrumental in raising U-M’s NQS to 197.111 in the 2026 campaign after earning an NQS of 196.945 in the 2025 campaign. Furthermore, Michigan earned six scores of 197.000 or better in the 2026 campaign, doubling its three total from the 2025 season. The Wolverines earned a season-best score of 197.475 at the Big Ten Quad Meet. Michigan started the Kanewa-Hermelyn era with a 197.225 at Sprouts as it broke the Michigan beam record and earned its second straight Sprouts title.
U-M ranked in the top 15 nationally on all four events as it ranks fifth on beam, ninth on floor, 13th on vault and 15th on uneven bars. In 2026, Michigan broke the beam record with a 49.650, while also posting the fourth highest score in program history with a 49.600 on the beam. Furthermore, Michigan’s score of 49.600 on the floor ranks in the top 20 all-time in program history. Kanewa-Hermelyn led Michigan to a conference-leading five All-Big Ten honoree as Carly Bauman and Jahzara Ranger earned first team honors and Kayli Boozer, Sophia Diaz and Quincy Walters all earned second team honors. Additionally, Walters was named to the All-Freshman Team in a dynamic group of freshmen across the conference. In 2026, Michigan tied or broke career-highs on 40 occasions, while it took home 31 individual event titles, including four straight beam titles from Boozer and six floor titles from Bauman. Finally, Michigan had 70 scores of 9.900 or better.
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 national title in the 2021 season and has won three Big Ten Championships and four Big Ten regular season titles.
Kanewa-Hermelyn helped coach the Wolverines to their 27th Big Ten Title in the 2023 campaign and earn six scores of 198+. On the beam, Kanewa-Hermelyn led the Wolverines to a program record 49.625 against both Nebraska and Minnesota and was an integral part of Michigan's six weeks ranking No. 1 nationally on floor after choreographing Michigan's routines. In 2024, Kanewa-Hermelyn's beam team ranked as high as sixth nationally, while she helped the Wolverines floor squad to a No. 4 ranking and the vault to a No. 23 ranking. During the 2025 season, sophomore Kayli Boozer was the College Gym News Breakthrough Athlete of the Year after breaking into three lineups with the help of Kanewa-Hermelyn.
After the national championship season, the Wolverines topped the national rankings for nine straight weeks to start the 2022 season and continued to set a new standard for Michigan gymnastics. The Wolverines set a program record with a 198.525 at Rutgers, which at the time ranked as the sixth-highest score in NCAA history. In the same meet, U-M set a program record on the vault with a 49.875, the second highest in NCAA history at the time, which included three straight perfect 10.0s. Michigan also broke its previous floor record, recording a 49.750 at home against Auburn and West Virginia.
In her second season as a full-time assistant coach, she helped Michigan to its first national championship with a program-best 198.2500. The Wolverines eclipsed the 198 mark for the first time in 2021 and ended the season with four scores of 198.000 or higher. U-M also broke the U-M balance beam (49.600) and uneven bars (49.725) records, while notching the second-best score in program history on the vault with a 49.800. The Wolverines finished the regular season ranked in the top 15 in all four events, including leading the nation on the vault, and went into the NCAA Championships ranked second nationally.
Following the 2020 season, she was named the WCGA Northeast Regional Assistant Coach of the Year. U-M won the 2020 Big Ten regular season title before the postseason was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kanewa-Hermelyn coached the team to a NCAA Championship appearance and fifth-place finish in 2019. The Wolverines finished second at the Ann Arbor NCAA Regional and won both the 2019 Big Ten Championship and Big Ten regular-season title with a 9-0 record. The team had four gymnasts earn eight All-America honors, including a NCAA Champion on balance beam (Natalie Wojcik). Three gymnasts combined for four Big Ten individual titles. Six Wolverines were named to the All-Big Ten team, including Wojcik, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year.
Kanewa-Hermelyn was a gymnast at Oklahoma from 2012-16 and was a part of two national championship teams in 2014 and 2016. She earned All-America honors on both vault and floor in 2014 and finished fourth on vault and as the NCAA runner-up on floor. She also was a two-time Big 12 vault champion (2013, 2014).
As a senior, Kanewa-Hermelyn was a member of the captain's table for student-athletes. She earned NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors all four years and was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection. She earned the Athletics Council Achievement Award in 2015-16 and graduated from Oklahoma with a bachelor's degree in human relations in 2016.
Upon graduation, Kanewa-Hermelyn was a student assistant coach at Oklahoma where she helped coach the team to the third national title in program history.
Kanewa-Hermelyn received her master's degree in human relations from the University of Oklahoma in May 2018. While in graduate school, she worked as a graduate assistant in athletic development for the Sooners, aiding in fundraising and growing a donor base.
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