The class of 2025 features a few recruits from countries that haven’t sent a lot of athletes to the NCAA. In addition to the wider international representation, there are some new skills that we may see in the upcoming year that have been quite rare in the past. But it’s not just the international athletes coming with the originality, some American athletes are currently competing unique skills of their own!
Ana Bărbosu
College: Stanford
While the order of this list is alphabetical, it is fitting that it begins with Bărbosu, who competes unique skills on all four events. In Paris, Bărbosu competed a Tsukahara double full, though at the recent European Championships she competed the Tsuk one and a half. Despite the fact that she has competed a double-twisting Yurchenko in her career, it seems more likely that she will compete a Tsukahara-style vault in college, such as a laid-out full or a tucked one and a half. On bars, her opening skill is a Shang half, a clear-hip piked Tkatchev with a half turn! While exceptionally difficult, we have seen the very difficult Nabieva in NCAA in the past, so it is possible this skill may make an appearance. On beam, her acrobatic series is a difficult front handspring to front tuck, and on floor, she competes a turn with three and…
