AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University will discontinue its women’s gymnastics program, Athletics Director Jamie Pollard announced Tuesday, citing “unreconcilable differences” within the program that led to the cancellation of the 2026 season. The university will honor athletic scholarships for current student-athletes who choose to remain at Iowa State to complete their degrees and will assist those wishing to transfer to other institutions.
The decision follows a season cut short after only four competitions in February, a move Pollard attributed to conflicts among athletes, coaches, and parents. In a video statement released Tuesday, Pollard described the situation as “disappointing and particularly concerning,” adding that the department had been unable to provide the gymnastics team with the same experience as its other 17 sports.
“There are moments…when being the leader isn’t very enjoyable,” Pollard said in the statement. “Our recent citation with our women’s gymnastics program is one of those times.”
Iowa State gymnasts were informed of the program’s discontinuation by Associate Athletics Director Shamaree Brown on Tuesday morning, according to reports. Head coach Ashley Miles Greig and her three assistant coaches were informed their contracts would not be renewed. Miles Greig’s contract was set to expire on June 30, 2026.
The university stated it will work with the NCAA to secure waivers allowing impacted student-athletes to pursue an additional year of competition eligibility. Affected gymnasts will continue to have access to athletic training, medical care, mental health services, academic support, and student-athlete development programs.
This is not the first time Iowa State has faced internal issues within the gymnastics program. Pollard revealed that independent evaluations were conducted in both 2018 and 2023, with the 2023 study resulting in a complete overhaul of the coaching staff. Despite these efforts, the department was unable to resolve the underlying conflicts.
Iowa State’s gymnastics program began in 1973-74 and achieved four conference championships, the most recent in 2006. The discontinuation of the program marks the fifth sports program to be eliminated by the university since 1994, following the cuts of men’s gymnastics, men’s tennis (both in 1994), baseball, and men’s swimming and diving (both in 2001).
Pollard indicated the university will spend the coming months researching potential replacement sports for the women’s program, focusing on options that provide equal or greater participation and scholarship opportunities for female athletes. The athletics department has not yet announced a timeline for selecting a replacement sport.
