Transfers do not happen as often in NCAA gymnastics as they do in other sports. That doesn’t mean they’re unheard of, though. The Arizona GymCats will be welcoming one of the rare transfers next season when former Arkansas gymnast Sadie Smith joins the team.

Smith was a freshman last year but did not compete for the Razorbacks. Her scores from both Level 9 and Level 10 indicate that bars are her strongest event, but she will also train beam and vault at Arizona.

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The GymCats have scores they need to replace on all three events after losing 10 of 24 routines to graduation. Both Alysen Fears and Emily Mueller competed all-around while Elena Deets performed bars and beam.

Before landing at Arkansas, Smith competed for Ascend Gymnastics as a Level 10 for two years. She was part of the group that helped Ascend win the 2022 USA Gymnastics National Program of the Year honor. As an individual, she qualified for nationals and finished in the top 15 in bars that year.

In 2023, Smith finished in the top five of all four events and all-around in regionals. That was capped by a third-place finish on bars at the regional meet.

Smith will join Elle Bragga, Riley Carman, Delaney Mead, Hillary Puleo, and Lily Tisdale as the Arizona newcomers this fall.

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Puleo was one of the future Wildcats who were honored at the 2025 USA Gymnastics Arizona State Awards Banquet on June 2. She was named the USA Gymnastics Arizona Level 10 Gymnast of the Year.

Class of 2026 commit Avery Tarico was honored at the same event. She received awards for being the regional all-around champion in Region 1, for qualifying for nationals, for finishing in the top three of an event at nationals, and for making the national team.

Lead graphic courtesy of Arizona Athletics

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The Spartans add a trio of transfers in guard Jalyn Brown (Baltimore, Md./Arizona State), forward Marah Dykstra (Vancouver, Canada/Montana State) and guard Rashunda “Spider” Jones (South Bend, Indiana/Purdue),

“We are so excited about the additions of Jalyn Brown, Marah Dykstra and Rashunda Jones to our Michigan State Women’s Basketball program,” Fralick said.

Brown is a 6-1 guard who played two seasons at Arizona State after one year at Louisville. The Baltimore, Maryland native has scored 1,032 points during her collegiate career. Last season, Brown earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors after she led the Sun Devils in scoring, averaging 18.0 points and 3.7 assists per game. She graduated from St. Frances Academy, which is the same high school that Spartan All-American Nia Clouden attended.

“Jalyn is a proven dynamic three-level scorer with a lot of playing experience. She will add length and versatility to our team, and we are excited about her impact both offensively and defensively in our program,” Fralick said.

Dykstra is a 6-2 forward who played three seasons at Montana State. She captured first-team All-Big Sky honors last season and second-team during the 2023-24 season. Last season, Dykstra averaged 12.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. During her collegiate career, Dykstra has scored 743 points. A native of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, prior to playing for the Bobcats, she played her high school basketball at Churchill Secondary. She also has international experience playing for Team Canada. During the summer of 2022, Dykstra played in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship, helping Team Canada win a silver medal.

“Marah brings a wealth of both playing experience and winning at a very high level,”  Fralick said. “She has been part of great teams at Montana State and with the Canadian National Team. She is very easy to play with and consistently impacts winning.” 

Jones is a 5-8 guard who played two seasons at Purdue. The South Bend, Indiana, native played in 59 games for the Boilermakers over the last two seasons. She earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team during the 2023-24 season and has averaged 8.8 points in her college career. Jones played at South Bend Washington High School, where she was the 2023 Indiana Miss Basketball runner-up.

“Rashunda is a very experienced player in the Big Ten. She understands the level of competition every night in our league. She has had a consistent impact on both sides of the basketball and we are excited to see her utilize her speed and creativity in our system,” said Fralick.

These four transfers join three incoming Spartan freshmen: Jordan Ode (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove High School), Anna Terrian (Pewaukee,Wis./Pewaukee High School) and Amy Terrian (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee High School).

On Monday, St. Xavier announced Pat Donaldson as its new head hockey coach.

According to a release, Donaldson has more than 14 years of experience coaching hockey at the varsity and youth levels. He led Marquette University High School (Wisconsin) to back-to-back sectional finals and coached teams at multiple youth organizations in Wisconsin.

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“We’re excited to welcome Coach Donaldson to the St. Xavier community,” St. Xavier Athletic Director Tim Banker said. “His experience, passion and commitment to developing young men will be a great asset as we continue building a hockey program rooted in the excellence of St. X athletics!”

St. Xavier made the Ohio High School Athletic Association state hockey tournament just once in 2008. The only other Cincinnati school to make it, Moeller, did so in 2005. The Bombers were 26-10-2 in 2023-24 but fell to 12-24-3 this past season.

Donaldson attended Marquette University High School and the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. St. Thomas’s hockey team joined Division I in 2022 and is currently coached by Enrico Blasi, who led Miami University hockey to the NCAA national championship game in 2009.

“I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to lead the St. Xavier hockey program,” Donaldson said. “My goal is to create an environment where players compete with passion, enjoy the game, and feel empowered to grow both on and off the ice. I’m looking forward to building a team built on discipline, accountability, and relentless effort, while staying true to the Jesuit values of St. X.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati St. Xavier names Pat Donaldson as new head hockey coach

James’ father, Mike Hagens Sr., was a defenseman for three seasons (1997-2000) at SUNY-Brockport, an NCAA Division III school in New York. He coached his sons with the Long Island Royals Under-13 and Under-14 teams in 2019-20.

James spent two seasons at Mount St. Charles (2020-22), and had 115 points (54 goals, 61 assists) in 54 games for the Under-15 team in 2021-22.

“One thing that doesn’t get discussed enough is that the rink at Mount St. Charles is a smaller sheet, so you really don’t have the same time and space and are grinding, developing smaller games on a tighter sheet,” Mike Sr. said. “It forces you to keep your eyes up, to look for options and be quicker in your decision-making. It’s the whole USA Hockey small-area-game-mentality.”

James moved on to the NTDP in Plymouth, Michigan, in 2022-23 and led the U-18 team with 63 assists, 102 points and an average of 1.76 points per game in 58 games in 2023-24.

“At the NTDP I learned if you want to make it to the next level, want to be able to play hockey in the NHL, you have to be a dog,” Hagens said. “You have to learn to compete and that anytime you step on the ice, whether for a practice or game, in the shooting room or the weight room, you have to give it your all. You have to make sure you’re ready for the opportunity when it happens.”

Hagens has been a reliable force for the United States on an international level too. He had 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in seven games to help the U.S. to a silver medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Finland. It was a single-tournament record, breaking the mark set by Nikita Kucherov in 2011 (21 points; 11 goals, 10 assists with Russia).