As the winter sports season kicks off, athletes and coaches prepare for successful seasons in their respective sports. William and Mary men’s and women’s gymnastics teams enter the 2026 season with hopes to reach new team and personal bests.
With the 2026 men’s gymnastics season recently underway, the William and Mary men’s gymnastics team is gearing up for a strong season. Following its season debut at the West Point Open, which saw eight athletes reach finals and sophomore Luke Tully win the high bar title, the team will compete at the Navy Open in Annapolis, Maryland Jan. 24.
After qualifying for the NCAA Championship in 2025—the team’s first time qualifying since 2021—the Tribe is looking to build confidence with their freshman members as well as build on last year’s success. Men’s gymnastics was selected to finish third in the Eastern College Athletic Conference rankings prior to the season, and the team is aiming for the NCAA Championships once again.
The Tribe had its first preseason showing back in December at the annual Green and Gold Showcase. Men’s senior team captain Ricky Pizem has confidence about the upcoming season coming out of the preseason and following the Green and Gold meet.
“I thought it was a good start to the season. It’s not necessarily part of our season, but it’s kind of the first real showing,” Pizem said.
Graduate student and team captain Jonathan Irwin expressed excitement for the new members of the team to get their first taste of college gymnastics.
“It’s such a big, big difference from club gymnastics, which is more of an individual sport, to go into college, where it’s very team-oriented,” Irwin said. “Getting out there with the team, competing under the lights with a crowd — it’s always a lot of fun.”
In practice, the team has been working hard to get comfortable with one another and gain confidence in their skills in preparation for competition. With new members each year, every season brings new group dynamics and challenges. Much of the practice before the beginning of the season is aimed at allowing teammates to settle in.
The men’s team places a large emphasis on working together and uplifting one another throughout the entirety of the season. Head coach Mike Powell is ready to see what the new members of the team will be able to contribute in the upcoming season and is counting on upperclassmen to contribute their previous experience.
“There’s things to adapt to that they’re really figuring out, but they’re learning really quickly, and I think we’re going to see some great contributions from that class this year,” Powell said.
In college men’s gymnastics, four men compete in each event to receive a score, and each score counts towards the team’s overall score. This setup creates a relationship between teammates as their performances affect each other during competition, allowing athletes to keep momentum and build off one another.
Looking ahead to the 2026 season, the Tribe has a few goals when it comes to performance. Aside from continuing to build confidence and work together as a team, the Tribe has its sights set on a couple of big competitions in the coming season.
“We have the conference championship in our sights. We think we have the potential to contend for a title. Similarly, at the USA Collegiate Nationals, we’re looking for at least a podium spot. We’re looking to make that return trip to the NCAA Championships as a team,” Powell said.
Alongside the men’s team, the women’s gymnastics team has a similar foundation of teamwork and emphasis on instilling courage within its athletes. In the 2026 season, the team hopes to grow in its performance and competitive standing within its conference.
Last season, women’s gymnastics earned season-high scores at their first competition and claimed the champion title at the Ursinus Quad Meet. Overall, the team had significant growth throughout the entirety of their 2025 season and hopes to build on its success similarly to the men’s team in 2026.
The team showcased their training in their Green and Gold Competition as a way to kick off their upcoming season. Coach Kelsey Mann, as well as the athletes, state that the competition fills them with positivity, excitement, and optimism going into this season.
Women’s gymnastics will be celebrating its 50th year as a team this season and host their first competition on January 25th in Kaplan Arena against Southern Connecticut State/Fisk. This competition will also be senior night, where senior athletes will be recognized for their hard work and dedication towards the program.
“Coach Kelsey and Kendall are amazing in both organizing and doing what’s best for both the team and the athletes, and I feel like this is going to be a really great season,” stated team manager Bailey Kim. “I hope members of the W&M community will continue to come and support our team because some really amazing gymnastics is being done.”
All in all, both teams have been working extremely hard to create an inclusive and comfortable environment for everyone in the 2026 season. While both teams have goals and hopes of winning championships, a main priority they focused on was the importance of passing knowledge down from athlete to athlete and keeping the program a fun and safe space for all of the athletes.
