It’s been over a week since Rutgers Gymnastics underwent a major shift. Yes, if you didn’t know, they just wrapped up their NCAA season under a probationary head coach. But recently, that head coach was given a well-deserved upgrade to a permanent position. Amidst this, there is excitement brewing in the whole community. Present and ex-students are all pouring in their good wishes. But there is one special shout-out that came in from a Rutgers Gymnastics veteran. It was emotional. And well, it was legendary.
Yes, we are talking about none other than Anastasia Candia. She has been the acting head coach for Rutgers Gymnastics since January. And on April 23, 2025, she was positioned at the helm of the Rutgers gymnastics program as their ninth head coach ever. Well, that truly changes things. It opens the possibility of a promising future for the Rutgers Gymnastics team. Why? Because Anastasia’s skills are immaculate. After all, there’s a veteran who just congratulated her while highlighting her storied career.
May 8, Rutgers gymnastics posted a series of reactions to Candia’s appointment as the head coach from the Scarlet Knight community. We’re talking about alumni members, former coaches, and much more. But, Rutgers’ Gymnastics VIP coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton’s message stood as hands-down the most emotional one. She penned, “Having recruited Tasia in 2011 to attend Rutgers as a member of our gymnastics program, I saw her outstanding qualities as a gymnast and individual. Even though I retired in 2011 I continued to watch Tasia become an outstanding member of the gymnastics team and then followed her career as a college coach.”
Chrystal Chollet-Norton had been the head coach of Rutgers gymnastics from 1987 to 2011. Yes, we’re talking over 2 decades of expertise. Although Anastasia was recruited in Chollet-Norton’s final year at Rutgers, the talent hardly goes unnoticed, right? She carefully observed her through the years, and today, as Anastasia steps into her shoes as head coach, she mentioned that, “She [Anastasia is an outstanding technical coach but also has excellent leadership skills which has helped her to become the great coach she is today. I am excited for her and the team in the upcoming seasons.”
Well, this is a huge pat on the back for Anastasia. For someone who was the head coach for 26 years to show faith in her capabilities is commendable. And why not? After all, with the kind of record-breaking season she’s had, Anastasia has proven her ability to lead from the front.
Rutgers Gymnastics had a breakout year under Anastasia’s mentorship
Yes. Rutgers Gymnastics may have failed to make it past the qualifiers, but reaching there was in itself a huge milestone for them. And a huge part of that was possible because of Anastasia’s mentorship. As mentioned, she had been the acting head coach for the side since January. And in the coming months, who knew she would lead them to a breakout season?
Yes, for the first time since 2014, which means in 11 years, Rutgers Gymnastics made an NCAA Championships appearance. This means their 2025 campaign was a record-setting one. In fact, they also earned a 196.225 at the Big Ten Championships, the highest score since joining the conference in 2015.
So, yes, Rutgers Gymnastics has pretty much broken quite a few records under her mentorship. No wonder she was named the 2025 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Region 3 Head Coach of the Year. And now, with such encouragement behind her from Chrystal Chollet-Norton and others, Anastasia hopefully gears up to take the team ahead into a new season with the same momentum. What do you think of this? Let us know below!
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