Cooke, Vella-Wright Join Cyclones

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State gymnastics coach Jay Ronayne announced that two international gymnasts are joining the Cyclones for the 2020 season. Jade Vella-Wright and Laura Cooke have arrived at Iowa State and are preparing to compete this season.

"Jade and Laura will both be valuable assets in our quest to be a top gymnastics program in the country," Ronayne commented.

Vella-Wright comes to Iowa State from Melbourne, Australia. After first competing in the Australian National Championships back in 2013, she made her way onto the Australian National Junior Squad in 2016-17 after a second-place finish at the 2016 National Championships. She has competed internationally in a couple competitions, including an eighth-place finish in the all-around and a silver medal performance on bars at the 2016 Olympic Hopes Cup. She trained at Waverly Gymnastics Centre prior to moving to Ames.

"Jade is coming off of a knee injury that kept her out of competition for over a year," Ronayne said. "She most likely will see action on bars and could be our number one on that event. There is a chance Jade can provide a high-quality beam routine for us by the end of the season."

Cooke arrives in Ames from Norwich, England. She has trained with the English National Team for six years, collecting two all-around titles in international competition. She took gold in the all-around at the 2017 Leverkusen Cup, becoming the first English gymnast to do so. In 2018 she won the Salamunov Memorial all-around title. Her success internationally led her to Ames, where she will look to make an impact on Iowa State's lineup.

"Laura is a strong all-arounder," Ronayne noted. "I see her providing quality depth on all four events by the end of the season."

Both Cooke and Vella-Wright are eligible to compete in the Cyclones' first competition on Jan. 11 at No. 13 Arizona with No. 11 Western Michigan and Rutgers. Iowa State fans will get their first look at this year's Cyclone gymnastics team on Jan. 17 when the team hosts West Virginia at 6:30 p.m.

Players Mentioned

Laura Cooke

Jade Vella-Wright

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics