Despite flipping under the radar, Hamline Gymnastics has been making incredible strides and progress in several individual and group performances. On Feb. 6, the team hosted a “cause” meet against Gustavus Adolphus College.
During a “cause” meet, gymnasts represent causes they are passionate about with ribbons in their hair, as well as other sports and organizations to support these causes. Some examples of these ribbons included bone cancer, Turner Syndrome, prostate cancer, kidney cancer, pride and mental health awareness.
The competition season began on Dec. 5, 2025, with an intrasquad meet, meaning they competed amongst each other. It was also Alumni Night, where the team alumni can come back and enjoy time with the team once again. The alumni in this program are incredibly valuable to the team, and they continue to come back even after they graduate. It is clear that the program is close-knit, and that connection may be one of the keys to their success.
“It’s really exciting to see everyone again, and to see the team do their thing. Of course, I miss it, but it is awesome to come back and be part of it,” Alumnus ‘25 Julia Cheely said.
Since then, the team has competed at home against Simpson College, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Eau Claire. For their away games, the team competed against UW-Stout and Gustavus. All the meets ended in tough losses, but also held impressive individual performances.
In terms of individual performances, a standout has been first-year Carly Banta, who is leading the team in three of the four categories. These include bars, floor and beam. Banta often competes all around and scores consistent nines, especially during their meet against Gustavus.
“They are all very supportive and it’s very fun,” Banta said when asked what her favorite part of the team was.
During their meet against Gustavus Adolphus College, the Pipers lost by a heart wrenching 1.775 points. However, the meeting was still incredibly successful. Senior Lizzy Green explained how she thought the meet went.
“I thought the energy was really high; I always love the meet environment; it was a lot of fun,” Green said.
Adding on to that, Green’s teammate seems to share that sentiment.
“I think today we had a really good fight. We put out a lot of new routines, and some older ones. All we need to do is have confidence in the future and put all the pieces together, and I think we have a good chance,” fifth-year Lily Ramsdell said.
The team has one more home meet left, which is also their senior night against Winona State. After that, they will compete against UW-Whitewater in an away match. Their meets are held in the Walker Fieldhouse.
The end of the season stretch begins on March 7, which is also the team’s Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meet, as well as the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA), if anyone qualifies. After March, the season comes to a close.
