Iowa State University Athletics
Gymnastics
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- heyoung@iastate.edu
After a distinguished career as an ISU gymnast, Haylee Young returned to help coach the program from 2020-2025. Hired initially as a volunteer assistant for the 2020 campaign, Young was then promoted to Assistant Coach - a title she held from 2021-2025. Young coached Iowa State’s beam and floor squads.
2025
For the second consecutive season, Young's floor squad consistently brought in the highest scores of any Cyclone event. The team's 49.325 floor score against Arizona State was the single-highest event score by any ISU team this year. Eight of the team's individual event wins came on floor, while four of the 13 team event wins came on floor.
As for beam, Young helped ISU athletes claim six individual crowns and three team titles on the season. The beam team hit its stride at the end of the season, as the squad earned its season-best, 49.1, in the Big 12 Championship.
2024
As the only coach retained when Coach Greig was hired, Young played a pivotal role in the first year of the Ashley Miles Greig Era. Her knowledge of the athletes on the roster helped issue a smooth transition into the new season.
In 2024, Young's floor team stood out, as the Cyclones produced their highest scores of the season on Young's event as the team notched its highest individual event score (49.400) on floor at Florida's quad meet. Young played a part in ISU's largest single-season turnaround in school history, as the team improved 15 spots from 2023's RTN rankings jumping from 44 to 29 in 2024.
Young saw 15 9.9-plus scores from her floor athletes this season, the most of any event, while also seeing her gymnasts post nine 9.9-plus scores on beam, the second most of any event.
2023
Young's floor athletes posted 13 9.900+ scores on the season and her tutelage of Maddie Diab continued to shine through as the senior posted an NQS of 9.935, which ranked 18th in the nation and third in the Big 12. Her performance earned her a spot on the 2023 All-Big 12 Gymnastics Floor Team.
2022
In 2022, Young’s second full-time season, Iowa State’s floor squad posted six scores of 49.200 or better and scored 49.000 or better in all but two meets during the season. Young helped floor specialist Maddie Diab to a perfect 10 against Lindenwood, the fifth in program history and just the second on floor.
2021
In her first full-time season, Young impressed with the improvements her student-athletes made throughout the season. Iowa State’s beam squad finished with back-to-back scores above 49.200 in 2021 and had five different gymnasts score a 9.875 or higher during the season.
The Cyclone floor group had three gymnasts with 9.925 or higher scores in 2021 all of whom presented different strategies and challenges to coaching and choreography that Young was able to navigate.
As an Athlete
She competed for the Cyclones from 2015-18, having a successful career in Cardinal & Gold. Young qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2017 and collecting a pair of Big 12 titles during her student-athlete career.
Young began her career as a Cyclone in 2015 out of West Des Moines, Iowa. She helped the Cyclones post their highest floor exercise score of 49.450 since 2006 by posting a 9.925 as the anchor against Iowa and Missouri during the meet on March 9, 2018. The Cyclones also earned their highest team score since 2007 with a score of 196.700 with Young competing in the all-around in that same tri-meet.
During her freshman campaign, she earned the Big 12 All-Around Championship. In her junior year, she qualified for the NCAA Championship in the individual all-around, then closing out her career with her second Big 12 Championship by clinching the floor title in 2018. Young graduated from Iowa State in 2018 with her Bachelor's Degree in Public Relations.
