ISU Signs Olympic Gymnast For 2018

AMES, Iowa- The Iowa State gymnastics team announced the signing of Peru's first Olympic gymnast, Ariana Orrego Martinez, on Tuesday morning. Orrego will join the Cyclones next fall from Excalibur Gymnastics in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and joins the 2017 signing class that includes fall signee Sophia Steinmeyer from Pennsylvania.

"Ariana's experience internationally is something that we're really excited about," head coach Jay Ronayne said. "She performs with an international flair and she competes with an elite gymnast mentality. We're excited to see her bring that to our program."

Orrego represented Peru at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making history as the first gymnast from Peru ever to qualify for the games. She competed in the Olympic Games as an all-around gymnast at 17-years old. Orrego has also had success competing at the club level in the U.S. as a part of Excalibur Gymnastics under coaches Gustavo Moure and Dena Walker after moving to the United States at 15.

Last week the 18-year-old competed at the Region 7 Championships, taking first place on beam, second all-around, and third on floor, vault, and bars. At last year's regional competition, Orrego placed first on vault, second all-around and tied for third on the uneven bars. The Virginia Beach, Virginia resident also holds eight Virginia State Championship titles including three on vault, two on bars, one on beam and two in the all-around.

Iowa State University Athletics

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