2025 Washington Men’s Gymnastics Season Preview
As the Washington Men’s Gymnastics team prepares for the 2025 season, anticipation is building for what promises to be an exciting year. With a mix of experienced athletes and rising stars, the team is poised to make a strong showing both regionally and nationally. Here’s a look at what’s in store for this season.
Key Returning Athletes
- Riley Lineman (Junior): The new Team Captain, Riley is a utility athlete poised to be one of the strongest all-around competitors this season.
- Trevor Ruggeri (Senior): Returning Team Captain for his senior year, Trevor continues to be one of the most detail-oriented athletes with the cleanest lines you will see on the team and in the entire league.
- Bradley Stroud (Senior): Senior and Team Captain, Bradley is coming off an injury that prohibited him from retaining his National all-around title last season. He is more than hungry to get back to competition.
- Carter Hawthorne (Senior): Eager to retain his pommel horse national title.
- Zachary Murray (Junior): The Still Rings National Champion and a rising all-around competitor, Zachary brings a combination of power and precision that sets him apart. His championship experience will be invaluable this season.
New Faces to Watch
- Eli Deehr (Freshman): An all-around rising freshman eager to establish his contribution to the team on all events.
- Jaxon Eastwood (Freshman): Looking to be the next pommel horse and potential vault specialist the team desperately needs.
- Jonah Hahn (Freshman): A dynamic pommel horse specialist. Jonah’s quick twitch and speed make him poised to show out on pommel horse this year. He is also deceptively strong, training other events such as rings.
Key Competitions
The 2025 schedule includes several major events where the team will look to showcase their skills:
- Washington Open: As host team, Washington will aim to defend their home turf in front of a supportive crowd against Western Conference rivals Arizona Men’s Gymnastics. This competition will be January 11th at Alaska Airlines Arena.
- Mavericks Invite: A pivotal meet that will set the tone for competitions on the road will be the team’s first head-to-head against the Rocky Mountain Mavericks on their home turf in Lafayette, Colorado.
- GymACT National Championships: The team aims to again qualify for Nationals, building on last year’s strong showing. The championships will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah the weekend of May 10th.
Areas of Focus
As Head Coach, I have emphasized clean execution and mental toughness as key areas for improvement this season. We have the talent to compete at a high level; our focus is on increasing difficulty while maintaining our attention to detail and staying composed under pressure.
Outlook for 2025
With a balanced mix of experienced leaders and enthusiastic newcomers, the Washington Men’s Gymnastics team is well-positioned for a successful 2025 season. Fans can expect a season full of thrilling routines, hard-fought competitions, and moments of brilliance from this dedicated group of athletes.
Selfless Acts
Our team not only will undertake challenges on the competition floor but this season has already started with them undertaking the most labor-intensive fundraising workload ever witnessed by this foundation. At the conclusion of this season the Washington Men’s Gymnastics team will have supported over eight different junior girls gymnastics competitions, six collegiate gymnastics competitions, two high school competitions, one Washington Men’s USAG State Championships, six home Husky Football games, two Husky Track and Field meet clean-ups, plus an estimated 800 more man-hours of labor in efforts to support the University, local club gyms and high schools. The physical and mental demands this puts on the team on top of their school, family, gymnastics goals, and other extracurricular commitments is unimaginable.
Join the Excitement
Be sure to follow the Washington Men’s Gymnastics team throughout the season and cheer them on as they aim for new heights in 2025!
Eli Richardson
Head Coach
