Haylee Young, one of the most decorated gymnasts in Iowa State history and a former member of the coaching staff, pushed back against Cyclones athletic director Jamie Pollard’s comments regarding issues within the program that led to the cancellation of the remainder of the season.
Young, who qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2017 and collected a pair of Big 12 Conference titles during her career and was a member of the coaching staff until 2025, criticized Pollard in a statement provided to The Des Moines Register on Feb. 23.
Pollard had issued his own statement on Feb. 17 to gymnasts and their families citing “unreconcilable differences” between athletes, coaches and parents. Pollard also shared conflicts within the program were not new and “comparable challenges have occurred multiple times in our program’s history.”
Young addressed that topic in her statement.
“If similar challenges have occurred previously, it is fair to ask what steps Athletics Department leadership has taken to ensure future teams are not placed in the same position,” Young wrote.
“To suggest a longstanding pattern without clear context risks mischaracterizing the experiences of those who built and sustained this program’s reputation. Jamie Pollard’s comments in the recent letter were extremely discouraging to all of those who have labored and competed for, nurtured and supported the Cyclone Gymnastics Legacy. The sport is not the catalyst of the culture, as his statement appears to imply.”
Iowa State announced the cancellation of the remainder of the season on Feb. 8. The school cited the health, safety and overall welfare of student-athletes in a news release announcing the decision. It came three days after Iowa State canceled its Feb. 6 home meet against West Virginia.
Cyclones coach Ashley Miles Greig said in a statement at the time the team did not have enough athletes available to safely field a team against West Virginia.
Young wrote when she left the program following the 2025 season, she offered “constructive recommendations” for the program. In her statement Monday, Young criticized the school’s support of the program, writing that “facility conditions warrant acknowledgement.”
Former associate head coach Ryan Snider and former director of operations Tory Cohen also left the program following the 2025 season. Miles Greig began the 2026 season with an all-new staff consisting of assistants Jazmyn Estrella, Ragan Smith and Mary Wise.
Young wrote there is no air conditioning in the practice facility and no trampolines beneath the pits, amenities Young said are common in modern facilities. Some gymnastics facilities have foam pits with trampoline bottoms for shock absorption to reduce injury risk.
Young added the pits were built by a local gymnastics club that uses the facility at night and equipment budgets have been limited, making it difficult to make updates when needed.
“These are objective realities,” Young wrote. “When evaluating outcomes and expectations, training environment and infrastructure should be part of a broader conversation.”
Pollard’s recent statement acknowledged concerns about the future of the program but did not indicate what was next for the school. Alumni, including Young, have been speaking out, trying to get answers while publicly supporting the program.
“Alumni have supported this program across coaching eras because of deep pride in Iowa State University and the belief in what this program represents,” Young wrote. “The support has been consistent regardless of leadership changes. The same level of institutional support should be evident in ensuring that Iowa State Gymnastics is positioned for sustainable success at the highest level.”
Nick Joos, Iowa State’s senior associate athletics director for communications, declined to comment on Young’s statement.
