The coaching carousel is one of the most followed parts of the college gymnastics offseason, but when push comes to shove, how have these new coaches performed, and have their teams actually gotten any better since they took the reins of the program? The 2023 season saw eight new head coaches take over various programs across the country. It’s generally assumed that a new coach means a scoring dip for the team, at least during the first few years of their tenure as both the team and the new staff adjust. However, the 2023 season provided a few examples of teams going against the grain and actually having scores rise from last season’s NQS’.
Just a note about the methodology here. Team NQS for each event as well as the overall NQS were compared from Week 10 over 2023 and 2022 since the 2023 season isn’t over yet. Another thing to keep in mind is that changes in scores can be due to a variety of factors—scoring trends, transfers/graduates, etc.—but this piece is only looking at overall trends in each new coach’s first season.
UCLA – Janelle McDonald
| Overall NQS change from 2022-23 | Vault NQS | Bars NQS | Beam NQS | Floor NQS |
| +1.145 | +0.16 | +0.42 | +0.25 | +0.285 |
The arrival of former Cal assistant coach Janelle McDonald in Los Angeles was one of the most…
