Dynasties are nothing new in the world of college athletics. In collegiate gymnastics, many fans are familiar with schools such as UCLA, Utah, Alabama, and Georgia, as well as the legendary figures that pass through these programs.
But what happens when you look past Division I? For every program like Utah or Alabama, there’s one at the DII or DIII level that is dominant in its own right. For the last 30 years, Texas Woman’s University has led the pack in the DII and at USAG nationals, establishing itself as a decades-long precedent for excellence.
For those unfamiliar with USAG nationals and how it fits into the larger collegiate gymnastics picture, here’s a small explainer. Teams that are eligible for USAG nationals are those with fewer than seven and a half full scholarships. This includes the Ivies, service academies, DII, DIII, and a handful of other DI schools.
“I’m proud to say that basically up until I (retired), at the national championships, we were either first or second since that year we won,” former head coach Frank Kudlac said. “I think we were part of the reason that Division II got better because we didn’t set a ceiling for us. We kept getting better and better.”
Kudlac never intended to build a dynasty at TWU. He never even thought…
