The Iowa State women’s gymnastics team has officially shut down its 2026 season, a decision driven by a mix of injuries and health concerns that left the program unable to safely field a full lineup. The school made the announcement on Sunday, Feb. 8, just days after canceling a home meet against West Virginia.
This marks an abrupt and unfortunate end to a season that was already under strain. According to Nick Joos, Iowa State’s senior associate athletic director for communications, the team has been dealing with a “combination of injuries and other health issues” that made it increasingly difficult to train and compete. The situation reached a tipping point where the Cyclones could no longer safely send out full lineups for each rotation-something that’s essential in the sport’s team scoring format.
For context, NCAA gymnastics teams compete in four events-vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise. Each team typically fields six athletes per event, with the top five scores counting toward the team total. Iowa State lists 18 gymnasts on its roster, but availability issues have clearly taken a toll.
The cancellation wipes out six remaining meets on the Cyclones’ calendar, including marquee matchups like the Cy-Hawk Series against Iowa and the fan-favorite “Beauty and the Beast” event, which combines gymnastics and wrestling in a unique doubleheader at Hilton Coliseum. Also scrapped are road trips to Arizona State and BYU, as well as home meets against Arizona and Western Michigan.
In a statement released by the school, Shamaree Brown, senior associate athletics director for student services, emphasized that the decision wasn’t made lightly.
“After a careful and thoughtful review of the program over the last week, it became apparent that we do not have enough student-athletes available to safely compete, and thus have made the painful decision to cancel the remainder of our gymnastics season,” Brown said. “The health, safety and overall welfare of our student-athletes is paramount.”
That message was echoed by Joos, who noted that the team had already struggled to send out full rotations during the first half of the season.
What happens now?
The immediate focus is on supporting the student-athletes, both physically and emotionally. The Cyclones have just one senior on the roster-Madelyn Manternach, who competes on beam and floor-so most of the team could return next year, assuming eligibility issues are resolved.
With the team unable to compete in the Big 12 or NCAA championships, attention now turns to potential eligibility relief. The NCAA offers two main avenues: a hardship waiver, which requires medical documentation of injury or illness, and a season-of-competition waiver, which can be granted in cases where athletes competed in five or fewer meets or only in the first half of the season.
Iowa State gymnasts appear to meet those criteria, having competed in just five meets this year. Joos confirmed that the school’s compliance staff will work with the NCAA and Big 12 to explore those options.
The transfer portal could also come into play. For Division I women’s gymnastics, the portal opens March 31 and closes May 13, giving athletes an opportunity to explore other programs if they choose.
What about 2027?
As for the future of the program, Iowa State hasn’t made any definitive statements. When asked whether the Cyclones plan to return to competition in 2027, Joos kept the focus squarely on the present:
“Right now, the focus is on supporting the young women in our program. We have not yet shifted our attention beyond caring for these young women during this period.”
The coaching picture
At the helm is Ashley Miles Greig, who took over the program in April 2023 following the departure of longtime head coach Jay Ronayne. Ronayne’s 17-year tenure included multiple Big 12 individual titles and NCAA event qualifications, but the program has been in transition under new leadership.
Miles Greig brought a decorated gymnastics résumé to Ames. A 12-time first-team All-American at Alabama, she was the 2006 National Gymnast of the Year and one of only two gymnasts ever to win three national vault titles. She also competed internationally with USA Gymnastics.
Interestingly, she didn’t take the traditional coaching route after her collegiate career. Instead, she spent time in the auto finance industry, working at the dealer level before joining JPMorgan Chase’s auto finance division. She stayed connected to the sport by choreographing routines for elite-level gymnasts and working as a broadcast analyst for ESPN.
When she took over at Iowa State, she had no prior collegiate coaching experience-a bold hire for a Power Five program.
Performance under Miles Greig
The 2026 campaign ends with Iowa State holding a 2-7 overall record and an 0-2 mark in Big 12 competition. The team was ranked 59th nationally at the time of the season’s cancellation, the lowest among Power Five programs and trailing even one Division II school.
That’s a significant drop from 2025, when the Cyclones went 8-16 overall and 1-5 in conference play, finishing ranked 36th. In her first season at the helm in 2024, the team posted a 10-18 record, 2-2 in the Big 12, and advanced to the postseason-a promising start that showed potential for growth.
Compensation
According to Iowa’s public employee salary database, Miles Greig earned a base salary of $159,000 in 2025. Iowa State’s NCAA financial report lists her total compensation-including benefits and bonuses-at $222,014 for the fiscal year.
Looking ahead
There’s no sugarcoating it-this is a tough moment for Iowa State gymnastics. Canceling a season is never easy, and for the athletes who’ve trained their whole lives for these opportunities, it’s a heartbreaking turn.
But there’s also a chance for reflection and recalibration. The priority now is ensuring the well-being of the student-athletes, supporting them through the eligibility process, and laying the groundwork for a healthier, more stable return.
Whether that comeback happens in 2027 or beyond, the Cyclones will need to regroup, rebuild, and reestablish their footing in a competitive Big 12 landscape. For now, though, it’s about taking care of the people behind the routines-the gymnasts who make the sport what it is.