Trying to Break 49-Year-Old Curse, Cal Gymnastics Coach Fires Back at Critics Blaming Injuries for Setbacks

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The Cal women’s gymnastics team has flown under the radar this 2025 season, overshadowed by powerhouses like LSU and Oklahoma. Yet, their performances remain breathtaking, blending artistry and athleticism. Since their debut in 1976, the Bears have made multiple NCAA Championship appearances, including a historic runner-up finish in 2024. But the elusive prize has evaded them for 49 years: an NCAA title. Also, injuries have plagued the program in recent seasons, prompting critics to point fingers at training regimens and coaching decisions. Coach Liz Crandall-Howell, however, isn’t backing down. So, can Cal finally break the curse in 2025?

On a recent episode of the podcast Flipping Out with Bridget Sloan, Cal Gymnastics Co-Head Coach Liz Crandall-Howell opened up about the team’s injury struggles and her innovative approach to keeping athletes healthy. “As coaches, we’re always trying to protect the athletes,” Crandall-Howell said on the podcast. The Bears have faced their share of setbacks, with nagging injuries impacting key gymnasts in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Junior standout eMjae Frazier has been managing a lingering ankle issue, while senior Mya Lauzon has dealt with periodic shoulder soreness.

Crandall-Howell further added, “...even with skill selection and construction of routines like what are the things that you can do 15 weeks in a row without a break. And that the science would have you like come down and back up again, The season and the way that it’s built, it doesn’t allow for that,” Critics have been quick to blame the coaching staff, suggesting that high-intensity routines and relentless schedules are to blame. Crandall-Howell, however, sees it differently.

Offering a solution in the same statement, Crandall-Howell mentioned, “So one of the ways that you can do it is, you know, you can do it with a two-pass floor routine. It’s a little less on their bodies to do it, but the difficulty is still there.” For instance, opting for two-pass floor routines instead of the more taxing three-pass standard eases the strain on gymnasts’ joints and muscles—crucial for a roster aiming to peak in March and April. The 2024 season gave a preview of this strategy’s promise. Despite injuries, Cal flew to a second-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its best ever. eMjae Frazier and Mya Lauzon, among stars, fought through body ailments to provide performances of distinction, Frazier’s beam reliability, and Lauzon’s all-around excellence standing out in the finals. But the injury bug continued to hover, with nagging sprains and strains compelling last-minute lineup changes late in the season.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Bears are again contending with injuries. These challenges haven’t dimmed Cal’s prospects as they entered the season ranked No. 4 nationally and have posted scores above 197 multiple times, including a 197.200 victory at the Elevate the Stage quad meet in Huntsville on March 12. But the injury narrative persists, with some arguing the team’s depth is stretched too thin. Data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance Program supports that floor exercise accounts for a significant portion of lower-body injuries, with overuse being a key factor. By trimming passes, Cal mitigates that risk without compromising scores, as evidenced by their top-10 national ranking on the floor this season. This Saturday, the Bears again have the opportunity to win their first conference championship title.

Cal Gymnastics look to win their first Conference Championship title

Outside of the injury debate, Cal is pursuing history in 2025. On March 22, the Bears took part in their first-ever ACC Gymnastics Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, with the goal of winning their first-ever conference championship. Having completed as national runners-up in 2024 and sweeping the ACC regular season undefeated, Cal came in as the No. 6 seed in a quad meet against No. 14 Stanford, No. 19 NC State, and No. 25 North Carolina. The pressure was on: a victory would be a program milestone and strengthen their bid for an NCAA title run.

The Greensboro meet displayed Cal’s resiliency. Fresh off a Senior Day win at Haas Pavilion—where they defeated Stanford for the third time this year—the Bears embarked on a 2,756-mile journey to meet a quality field. NC State, last year’s ACC champion, boasted a postseason-leading 197.550 from 2024, and North Carolina had just registered season-best meet marks. Stanford, though beset by recent troubles, had individual stars in the form of Anna Roberts, the 2024 NCAA vault champion. Cal, though, showed their mettle. A season-best 49.350 on beam versus NC State in the fall and Lauzon’s ACC-leading all-around score of 39.650 indicated that they were prepared.

The Bears’ journey to Greensboro wasn’t without hurdles. The three-hour time difference and cross-country travel tested their adaptability, but Cal’s regular-season trips to Huntsville and Oklahoma City prepared them for the challenge. Their 197.175-196.550 win over NC State in Raleigh and a 197.200-195.625 rout of North Carolina in Huntsville underscored their dominance. In Greensboro, they aimed to channel that momentum into a championship breakthrough.
Forty-nine years without an NCAA gymnastics title is a heavy burden, but under Crandall-Howell’s leadership, the Bears are rewriting their story. Her injury-conscious approach—epitomized by smarter routine construction—has kept the team competitive despite setbacks.

The post Trying to Break 49-Year-Old Curse, Cal Gymnastics Coach Fires Back at Critics Blaming Injuries for Setbacks appeared first on EssentiallySports.