Completed Event: Gymnastics at #10 Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series) on January 10, 2026 , Loss , 193.425, to, 196.000
Final
Gymnastics
193.425
#10 Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)
196.000
.png&width=70&height=70&type=webp)
.png&width=70&height=70&type=webp)
Iowa State University Athletics
Young Returning to Old Self After Major Injury
02.11.2016 | Gymnastics
By Kevin Horner, Iowa State Athletics Communications Student Assistant
AMES, Iowa – While attempting a new dismount on the uneven bars in June 2015, Haylee Young heard the sound dreaded by all gymnasts — “pop”.
AMES, Iowa – While attempting a new dismount on the uneven bars in June 2015, Haylee Young heard the sound dreaded by all gymnasts — “pop”.
Young immediately grabbed her shoulder and turned in dismay to her coach, Jay Ronayne.
“I can't lift my arm,” Young said.
The 2015 Big 12 All-Around champion and freshman standout had torn her labrum seven months before her sophomore season was set to begin. Given her success in 2015, many, including Young herself, had set high expectations for Young's second season. After the injury, however, expectation and reality for Young seemed to be uneven — much like the bars on which she was injured.
“We knew it would take a long time for her to come back,” Ronayne said. “We were like, 'great, she might be missing next season.'”
Since former ISU All-American gymnast Caitlin Brown exhausted her eligibility in 2015, the team anticipated Young, who nipped at the heels of Brown all of last season, to fill Brown's shoes and lead the ISU gymnastics team in 2016. After all, Young came just 0.150 points short of joining Brown at the NCAA Championships last season.
Now, Young's mindset shifted. Instead of focusing on exceeding her success from last year, Young spent the summer rehabilitating, trying restore full movement to her injured shoulder.
“The process getting back [to full health],” is never easy,” freshman ISU gymnast Sydney Converse said. “I think she expected it to be easy. I mean, every athlete does.”
Despite Young's will to return to full health, rehabilitation took much time and effort. Skills that once came easily to Young now became difficult due to her shoulder's lack of mobility. She had to adjust and readjust to recover.
“My skills didn't come back as fast as I wanted them to,” Young said. “I would do a skill like a double back on floor. Before, I could walk into it, [but now], my shoulder wouldn't go all the way back, so it was harder to get all the way up in the air.”
Young didn't let her frustration thwart her recovery, however. Through hard work and persistence, she slowly regained her abilities as the 2016 season approached. Once Young gained a glimpse of improvement, she had all that she needed. She sped up her recovery process significantly, and while before she was in danger of missing the entire season, now she was healthy enough to compete in the team's first meet.
“Athletes will sometimes cut corners [in rehabilitation], but [Young] just wouldn't do that,” Ronayne said. “She was willing to see what her body could do — go to the edge, you know, to see what the shoulder could handle. She was even exploring doing gymnastics without that shoulder. She just did not want to be left behind.”
Young's hard work in the offseason resulted in a healthy body when January rolled around and the Cyclones had their first meet at Minnesota. She was beginning from where she left off in April 2015, pursuing the NCAA Championships once again.
“To be so close [to the NCAA Championships] last year, she knew what modifications she needed to make,” Ronayne said.
“As long as she hits all of her routines the way she can, she's kind of a shoe-in.”
Players Mentioned
GYM REPLAY: Utah at Iowa State 2026 ESPN+
Monday, January 26
Gymnastics Post vs. Missouri
Monday, January 05
GYM Replay 2025 Big 12 Championship ESPN+
Tuesday, March 25
GYM REPLAY: Denver, NC State and Illinois State vs. Iowa State 2025 ESPN+
Monday, March 03
