Iowa State discontinues women’s gymnastics program
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State is ending its women’s gymnastics program.
The decision, announced Tuesday by athletic director Jamie Pollard, comes shortly after the school canceled the remainder of its 2026 season due to what Pollard described as “intractable” issues between players, coaches and parents.
Pollard said the school would replace gymnastics with another women’s sport that “provides equal or additional participation opportunities” for female athletes.
The school will honor the scholarships of current or incoming gymnasts who choose to remain at the university, including ensuring they continue to have access to all departmental services available to Iowa State student-athletes. Pollard added that the athletic department will also help any gymnast who chooses to enter the transfer portal.
Members of the coaching staff, including head coach Ashley Miles Greig, will not have their contracts renewed.
Pollard called the move “a good decision for our athletics program and our student-athletes,” citing a series of issues within the program over the past decade.
Women’s gymnastics underwent a “complete overhaul” in 2018 due to various issues. In 2023, the university hired a Minnesota-based law firm to conduct an independent evaluation of the program, leading to sweeping changes including the implementation of a new coaching staff.
When similar problems arose three years later, Iowa State initially chose to cancel the remainder of the season because Pollard said “student-athletes felt the conflicts were so problematic” that they could not continue.
A governing council within the university spent weeks talking with various stakeholders about the program before recommending that women’s gymnastics be discontinued.
“The student-athlete experience is at the heart of what our department takes great pride in,” Pollard said. “Our department’s continued failure to provide members of our women’s gymnastics team [a positive] the experience… is disappointing and very concerning.”
Pollard said finances did not play a role in the decision, adding that whatever sport the Cyclones eventually add could be just as costly, if not more, to implement.
Iowa State has won four conference titles in women’s gymnastics, the last in 2006.
