University of Georgia Athletics
Wahl Trying To Help Lead Young GymDogs
January 29, 2025 | Gymnastics, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Ady Wahl, like any college freshman, experienced a lot of "new" last year: new school, new program, new coaches, new environment, new level of competition, new role as a teammate, and more. And like every freshman year, there were plenty of ups and downs and learning opportunities along the way.
Wahl competed in all 12 Georgia gymnastics meets on the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise in 2024, adding the balance beam and all-around to six of those competitions. She won four event titles: two for all-around and two on the vault. On a young squad, she was one of six freshmen to contribute in meets last season.
Now a sophomore, the GymDog from Zanesville, Ohio, is three meets into her second collegiate season, and she's experiencing a mix of new and old. The most significant new thing is, of course, the change at the top of the program, with Georgia hiring legendary coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi in April to serve as co-head coach alongside Ryan Roberts, who was an assistant under former coach Courtney Kupets Carter.
Canqueteau-Landi and her husband, Laurent, coached Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and numerous other Olympians for years. Canqueteau-Landi is already in the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a coach, and she led the U.S. women's team to gold at the Paris Olympics last summer.
"It didn't really hit me until the first time she was here," Wahl said of Canqueteau-Landi being one of her head coaches. "I was like, she's my coach! That is so weird. ... Just her coming in for the first time, I was like, I had a little girl moment."
Eventually, Wahl said, Canqueteau-Landi just became her coach, someone she sees and works with most days. Canqueteau-Landi made that easy for everyone, Wahl said.
"She's so humble about everything, and she's so chill. That's the best way I know how to describe her: she's very chill," Wahl said. "She's so down to earth and she just makes you feel comfortable."
And Wahl has looked pretty comfortable in competitions so far. In the season-opening quad meet at Denver, Wahl won the vault with a 9.925, the highest score any competitor had in the whole meet. She also tied for fourth in the uneven bars with a 9.875.
In Georgia's home meet against Boise State, which Biles attended, Wahl scored a 9.900 on the floor exercise, 9.850 on the bars and a 9.825 on the vault. At Florida last week, Wahl became the first GymDog to compete in the all-around this season, scoring a 39.275 and finishing fifth. She was the top scorer on the bars with a 9.900.
"She's a big contender for the all-around," Canqueteau-Landi said before the season started, "and she's proving that she deserves it."
One thing Canqueteau-Landi and Roberts want to see from Wahl is leadership. She may only be a sophomore, but she's a veteran on a team that has multiple freshmen competing in every meet and several more there at practice every day.
"We want her to take more of that leadership role within the team because she's showing, if you look at her academics and gymnastics, everything is really good — but she works, she works for it." Canqueteau-Landi said. "It doesn't just happen. She works, she's committed, and so I'm excited to see what she does this season."
Being a big sister herself, Wahl said she's enjoying the chance to lead and help out the many freshmen on the team.
"I'm so happy to have them come to me for things and to be able to help them the best way I can," she said. "It's like it fills my cup up, and I know it fills theirs up. I love that they feel comfortable enough to come to me and talk to me."
The No. 13 GymDogs host No. 10 Alabama on Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Staff Writer
Ady Wahl, like any college freshman, experienced a lot of "new" last year: new school, new program, new coaches, new environment, new level of competition, new role as a teammate, and more. And like every freshman year, there were plenty of ups and downs and learning opportunities along the way.
Wahl competed in all 12 Georgia gymnastics meets on the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise in 2024, adding the balance beam and all-around to six of those competitions. She won four event titles: two for all-around and two on the vault. On a young squad, she was one of six freshmen to contribute in meets last season.
Now a sophomore, the GymDog from Zanesville, Ohio, is three meets into her second collegiate season, and she's experiencing a mix of new and old. The most significant new thing is, of course, the change at the top of the program, with Georgia hiring legendary coach Cécile Canqueteau-Landi in April to serve as co-head coach alongside Ryan Roberts, who was an assistant under former coach Courtney Kupets Carter.
Canqueteau-Landi and her husband, Laurent, coached Simone Biles, Jordan Chiles and numerous other Olympians for years. Canqueteau-Landi is already in the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame as a coach, and she led the U.S. women's team to gold at the Paris Olympics last summer.
"It didn't really hit me until the first time she was here," Wahl said of Canqueteau-Landi being one of her head coaches. "I was like, she's my coach! That is so weird. ... Just her coming in for the first time, I was like, I had a little girl moment."
Eventually, Wahl said, Canqueteau-Landi just became her coach, someone she sees and works with most days. Canqueteau-Landi made that easy for everyone, Wahl said.
"She's so humble about everything, and she's so chill. That's the best way I know how to describe her: she's very chill," Wahl said. "She's so down to earth and she just makes you feel comfortable."
And Wahl has looked pretty comfortable in competitions so far. In the season-opening quad meet at Denver, Wahl won the vault with a 9.925, the highest score any competitor had in the whole meet. She also tied for fourth in the uneven bars with a 9.875.
In Georgia's home meet against Boise State, which Biles attended, Wahl scored a 9.900 on the floor exercise, 9.850 on the bars and a 9.825 on the vault. At Florida last week, Wahl became the first GymDog to compete in the all-around this season, scoring a 39.275 and finishing fifth. She was the top scorer on the bars with a 9.900.
"She's a big contender for the all-around," Canqueteau-Landi said before the season started, "and she's proving that she deserves it."
One thing Canqueteau-Landi and Roberts want to see from Wahl is leadership. She may only be a sophomore, but she's a veteran on a team that has multiple freshmen competing in every meet and several more there at practice every day.
"We want her to take more of that leadership role within the team because she's showing, if you look at her academics and gymnastics, everything is really good — but she works, she works for it." Canqueteau-Landi said. "It doesn't just happen. She works, she's committed, and so I'm excited to see what she does this season."
Being a big sister herself, Wahl said she's enjoying the chance to lead and help out the many freshmen on the team.
"I'm so happy to have them come to me for things and to be able to help them the best way I can," she said. "It's like it fills my cup up, and I know it fills theirs up. I love that they feel comfortable enough to come to me and talk to me."
The No. 13 GymDogs host No. 10 Alabama on Friday night at Stegeman Coliseum.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
AA
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