Season Preview: Gymnastics Gearing up for Magical Season on Montlake
December 15, 2022 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE -- Entering the 2023 season ranked #21 in the WCGA preseason rankings, the Washington gymnastics team is preparing for another great season.
Second-year head coach Jen Llewellyn introduced the 2023 GymDawgs on Dec. 6 with the annual Purple & Gold exhibition showcase at Alaska Airlines Arena.
Coach Llewellyn has welcomed six freshmen and one graduate transfer to her 2023 roster, which includes 11 returners.
The group has felt confident about their progress and potential this preseason, with many gymnasts agreeing that this preseason is the best it's ever looked.
When asked how preseason has been going so far, junior Taylor Russon couldn't hold back her excitement.
"It's been great. Everybody looks fantastic," Russon said. "I have no doubt we're going to be awesome this year."
Senior Morgan Bowles agreed, noting that this preseason feels the best it ever has this far in, compared to previous years.
"So far, this team's camaraderie has stuck out the most to me," Bowles said. "With a big freshmen class of six coming in, you never really know how it will go, but they mesh so well with the team that it feels like nothing has changed."
The culture of the team reflects just how close-knit the group is, and how much they support each other on and off the gym floor.
"I love that we're able to preserve our culture [from last season] and that everyone is committed to the same things – working hard inside the gym, but also having that strong connection outside of it," Bowles said.
For Russon, the confidence in this year's squad is a tribute to how much the team worked in the offseason.
"In past years, it's taken until the end of December and we're still working on our routines," Russon said. "So, I think it just shows how much people worked over the summer, how much we want it, and how much Jen, Cody, and Jeffrey have made an impact on the program."
In addition to hard work in the summer, the team has spent as much time as possible getting acquainted with the abundance of new faces in the gym.
The GymDawgs kicked off the year with a three-day retreat to Suncadia in Cle Elum, Washington.
The retreat served as a wonderful opportunity for the group to bond, map out team and personal goals for the season, while enjoying some stunning Washington scenery along the way.
For freshman Lilly Tubbs, the retreat helped her get to know her new teammates outside of the gym – and being in a beautiful location definitely didn't hurt.
The team also took the mini vacation to allow space for writing out their goals for the upcoming year and plan out specific ways to work toward them, both individually and collectively.
And the best part – no phones and plenty less distractions.
"We learned a lot about each other," Tubbs said. "It was definitely a good warm-up to everyone on the team. We started our goal-setting there, in such a beautiful place – motivation was right there. Every time I open that goal book I think of that destination."
For Tubbs, the potential of her team is keeping her hopes high for when regular season rolls around in early January.
Heading into her first season sporting a Washington leotard, Tubbs looks forward to continue building on the talent and positive dynamic that this team has brought the past few months of preseason training.
"Everything about the girls and the coaches – how we interact with each other – it's all just so positive and uplifting," Tubbs shared. "it's a great environment to be in. It's what you want to have. It usually takes time to build that, but we hopped in and it felt like that dynamic was already made for us. So, when us freshmen came in, it was really easy to blend in with everyone."
The GymDawgs will be heading to Las Vegas to compete in the Super 16 starting on Jan. 6 to kick off the beginning of college gymnastics competition.
Washington will host its first home meet of the 2023 season when the UCLA Bruins travel to Alaska Airlines Arena on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. The meet, along with every home meet this season, can be streamed on Pac-12 Networks.
The full 2023 schedule can be found here.
For more information on the UW gymnastics team, follow @uwgymnastics on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.
