2025 ACC Regular Season Championns
2025 Co-ACC Coach of the Year
2024 WCGA West Region Coach of the Year
2023 WCGA National Co-Coach of the Year
2x WCGA Region 6 Coach of the Year (2020, 2021)
2x Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2021, 2024)
2x College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year (21, 24)
2016 NACGC/W National Assistant Coach of the Year
NACGC/W Region Assistant Coach of the Year (2015, 2016)
Elisabeth Crandall-Howell – a distinguished international brevet-level judge, an internationally experienced gymnast, and a collegiate All-American – was named co-head coach of the Clemson gymnastics program in May of 2025. Crandall-Howell joins the Tigers following a 13-year stint at Cal, where she started as an assistant coach in 2012, was elevated to associate head coach in July 2014 and co-head coach in October 2018.
In 2025, Cal competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference for the first time, earning a regular-season title and a Co-Head Coach of the Year honor for Crandall-Howell. The Bears finished a perfect 9-0 in ACC meets and finished the year at 32-5. The Bears finished third at the Tuscaloosa Regional and Mya Lauzon earned a third-place finish at nationals on the beam.
The Bears saw their highest finish in program history in 2024 – national runner-up. After placing first in each round of the Haas Pavilion Regional, Cal reached its second-straight NCAA Championship and made its first Four on the Floor appearance. The last season in the Pac-12 was a memorable one with the Bears winning its first outright conference championship. For the second-straight season Cal recorded the top three team scores in program history including a record 198.550.
On Jan 27, 2024 Crandall-Howell became the second Cal coach to reach 100 wins defeating Oregon State at home. She currently boasts a 159-58-2 record including postseason contests.
Cal set national records in 2024 as well with four Bears making the top-25 NCAA all-time single season scoring list. eMjae Frazier (673.0625) scored the most points in the history of the sport this year followed by Maddie Williams (3rd, 669.8125), Mya Lauzon (14th, 633.8250), and Ella Cesario (23rd, 629.8375).
In 2023, Cal brought home the Pac-12 regular season co-championship for the second-straight season and won their first Regional Final in school history with a postseason-record 198.075. It was the highest Regional Final score by any team that season and qualified the Bears for their fifth NCAA Championship. That season, eMjae Frazier recorded the first perfect-10 on the event in Cal history (floor) at the Purple and Gold Classic on Mar. 3.
In 2022, Crandall-Howell led the Bears to their first-ever Pac-12 title in school history, finishing as Regular Season co-champions. At the conference meet, the Bears took second place and recorded their highest-ever score at a Pac-12 championship, posting a 197.425. The Bears finished the regular season ranked ninth, and were 11th in the final rankings.
The 2021 season was a success for the Bears, despite dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced a shortened offseason. Cal qualified for the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in school history and set program records on the uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and overall score. Cal posted a 197+ score in 10 straight meets and did not count a fall all season. They also finished with the fifth-best NQS in the country and ranked in the top 10 on all four events at the end of the regular season. The Bears finished seventh at the NCAA Championship and Maya Bordas won the NCAA Individual Championship on the uneven bars. Kyana George was named WCGA Region 6 Gymnast of the year and was a finalist for the AAI Award. Cal also had four Regular Season All-Americans, nine All-American honorees and 12 All-Pac-12 honors all of which were program bests. Alongside her husband, Justin Howell, Crandall-Howell was named Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year, WCGA Region 6 Co-Coach of the Year and College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year.
While Cal’s 2020 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bears clinched their eighth consecutive NCAA postseason berth. Throughout the year, Cal claimed 100 top 3 finishes and produced 40 event titles, with seven different gymnasts displaying Cal’s depth by claiming an event title. Crandall-Howell and co-head coach Justin Howell were voted the WCGA Regional Head Coaches of the Year, while Cal gymnasts claimed a school-record eight All-Pac-12 honors on top of three Regular-Season All-America awards.
The 2019 season saw the Golden Bears continue their transformation to a perennial powerhouse, producing a perfect record at home and qualifying for NCAA Regionals. Toni-Ann Williams was named a top six finalist for the AAI Award, bestowed upon the nation’s top gymnast, and for the third time since Crandall-Howell’s arrival, a Cal gymnast claimed Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors with Milan Clausi taking the award. Clausi was also the Regional vault champion, punching her ticket as an individual to the NCAA Championships. The Bears ended the regular season ranked in the top 25 nationally on all four events — vault (12th), bars (12th), beam (13th) and floor (21st), and jumped in the rankings on both bars (up from 15 in 2018) and floor (up from 22 in 2018).
The Bears clinched their second NCAA Championships berth in three seasons with one of the most successful campaigns in school history in 2018. The Bears finished the regular season ranked ninth overall and in the nation’s top 25 on all four events – vault (8th), bars (15th), beam (12th) and floor (22nd). Cal improved its end-of-season RQS on three events — vault (49.275, up from 49.145), bars (49.230, up from 49.025) and Floor (49.255, up from 49.120). The season saw the Bears tally 14 team totals that rank among the school’s all-time Top 5 scores while hauling in 40 event titles and 109 Top 3 individual finishes, including 17 event titles in Crandall-Howell’s areas of focus of beam and floor.
Cal’s 2017 season saw the Bears improve their RQS on beam from 49.205 to 49.225 thanks to Crandall-Howell’s guidance. She played a pivotal role in helping Desiree Palomares become the program’s first ever NCAA Regional beam champion, and for the fourth season in a row, Cal was represented at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships.
The 2016 season saw Cal compete at the National Championships for the first time in over two decades thanks to detailed coaching from Crandall-Howell, who helped Cal post nine team totals that rank among the program’s all-time highest scores throughout the season. Crandall-Howell was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016 after earning her first NACGC/W West Region Assistant Coach of the Year award in 2015.
Crandall-Howell’s time at Cal included sculpting Toni-Ann Williams as one of the nation’s top floor performers. Williams earned three NACGC/W Regular-Season All-America honors, was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and took home All-Pac-12 First Team All-Around laurels before being named the regional Gymnast of the Year. During Williams’ training for the 2016 Rio Olympics, Crandall-Howell’s international experience was essential in prepping Williams’ beam and floor routines for the world stage. Crandall-Howell assisted Williams in learning two new, high-level skills to meet her international goals – a double layout dismount on beam and a full-in third pass on floor. Williams successfully executed both in NCAA competition and was the only gymnast in the nation performing such difficult skills in her collegiate routines in 2016. Under Crandall-Howell’s tutelage, Williams also maintained her standing as one of the nation’s top floor gymnasts, ranking in the top 10 throughout the season. In 2018, she earned NCAA All-America Second Team honors as an all-arounder, finishing 12th overall at the NCAA Championships.
Individually, Crandall-Howell was also crucial in the development of 2013 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Serena Leong, helping her to the third-highest beam score (9.90) and second-highest floor score (9.925) in program history, feats less than 10 Cal gymnasts have been able to accomplish. Jessica Howe wrapped up her freshman season with four beam titles and set a career-high 9.90 on the event alongside Leong.
Prior to her time at Cal, Crandall-Howell coached at the collegiate and club levels and spent six years as a member of the U.S. national team after which she was a student-athlete at BYU.
Just one of 16 active international brevet judging officials in the U.S., Crandall-Howell has judged three Olympic trials – including the 2012 trials in San Jose. From 2001-09, she was an official for U.S. Championships, and from 2006-07, she was the U.S. Apparatus Chairperson for uneven bars.
A seven-time U.S. National Team member from 1987-92, Crandall-Howell boasts a multitude of domestic and international accolades, traveling to Japan, Russia, Belgium, and Germany to represent the US. Most notably in 1991, she took home a gold medal at the USA Championships on uneven bars. Further, she also finished fourth on vault and eighth in the all-around. She was also a member of the silver medal winning team at the 1991 World Championships. Additionally, she finished 11th in the all-around at the 1992 Olympic trials. She medaled at the 1988 U.S. Championships on uneven bars and floor exercise, taking second in the all-around.
A full athletic scholarship student-athlete at Brigham Young University, Crandall-Howell was a two-time first-team All-American on the uneven bars. She helped the Cougars qualify to three NCAA Championships from 1994-96 and qualified on the individual level in 1993. In three of her four years in Provo, Utah, Crandall-Howell was the NCAA Regional uneven bars champion. She graduated in 1997 with a degree in physical education and health promotion.
She is married to Justin Howell, and they have three children.
Elisabeth Crandall-Howell
Co-Head Coach, Cal (2018-2025)
Associate Head Coach, Cal (2014-2018)
Assistant Coach, Cal (2012-2014)
| Year |
School (Position) |
Overall Record (incl. postseason) |
Conference Finish |
NCAA Regionals |
NCAA Championships |
Final Ranking |
| 2018 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
24-15 |
3rd (Pac-12) |
2nd |
9th |
9 |
| 2019 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
19-11 |
4th (Pac-12) |
3rd |
— |
11 |
| 2020 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
9-6 |
5th (Pac-12) |
— (cancelend due to COVID-19 pandemic) |
— |
9 |
| 2021 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
21-9 |
2nd (Pac-12 Regular Season Co-Champions) |
2nd |
7th |
7 |
| 2022 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
17-7 |
2nd (Pac-12) |
3rd |
— |
11 |
| 2023 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
25-6-2 |
3rd (Pac-12) |
1st |
7th |
7 |
| 2024 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
29-7 |
3rd (Pac-12 Regular Season Co-Champions) |
1st |
2nd |
2 |
| 2025 |
Cal (Co-Head Coach) |
32-5 |
2nd (ACC Regular Season Champions) |
3rd |
— |
9 |
| Totals |
13 Seasons (Cal) |
176-66-2 |
3 Conference Regular-Season Championships |
12 Postseason Appearances |
2024 NCAA Runner-Up |
|
Alex Cooper attends the “Call Her Alex” Premiere – 2025 Tribeca Festival at BMCC Theater on June 08, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Tribeca Festival
| First Take
