University of Georgia Athletics
Woolford Off To Strong Start With GymDogs
January 15, 2026 | Gymnastics, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Kelise Woolford's Georgia gymnastics career got started in familiar territory last Saturday. And the freshman sure looked right at home in her first meet.
Woolford is from Orange, N.J., but she trained at Buckeye Gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio. When the GymDogs opened their season at Ohio State, winning 197.000-196.250, Woolford was not only with her new teammates, she also had friends and former training partners on hand, as well.
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "I used to coach some younger gymnasts there, so I had some of the little ones at the meet, and my old coach was there, too, which was great, as well as some of my former teammates."
Woolford competed on the uneven bars and the balance beam in her first collegiate meet, and she earned co-champion honors in both events alongside Georgia junior Lily Smith. Both Woolford and Smith scored meet-highs of 9.925 on beam and 9.875 on bars.
"I'm pretty pleased with my performance, and just very thankful," Woolford said. "I know there's still some room for improvement, but getting back in the gym and just doing what I need to do, and listening to my coaches, it'll only come with time."
Transitioning from competing in top junior meets, which is largely an individual pursuit, to competing for the GymDogs is a big change, one that Woolford is embracing.
"Coming from the Elite world, it's very different," she said. "I'm so glad that I get to be engaged with my teammates and feel the support, whereas usually it's a little more quiet and more individual (at the Elite level). Being with my team and in that atmosphere, it was great."
Woolford got her first taste of performing in front of Georgia's legendary crowds at Stegeman Coliseum on Dec. 13, when the team held its GymDog Debut event. That was exciting, she said, but she knows the atmosphere will be even greater on Friday night, when No. 8-ranked Georgia hosts No. 2 LSU.
"All the girls are like, 'Steg is amazing! The crowd's so loud and everybody's so engaged!' so I can't wait for that," she said. "The Debut was great, everybody was so engaged for that, so I just can't imagine what it's going to be like when it's a real meet."
While the move up to competing for one of the most storied and successful gymnastics programs in collegiate history was one big change for Woolford, her adjustment to going to school at UGA has also been a big one. Woolford was homeschooled so that she could have time to travel and train, and now she's at a university with an enrollment of more than 43,000.
"Having to sit in a classroom and be engaged is definitely harder, but I got used to it," she said. "With homeschool, you have to manage your time pretty well, so I've been pretty good at staying on top of my assignments and stuff like that."
As a young girl, Woolford took part in cheer and dance, which share some common threads with gymnastics. It was when she saw Olympic gymnastics on television that her interest in the sport really took off.
"I was watching Gabby Douglas, and I was like, Oh, my gosh, I want to try to do that, that seems so fun," she said.
While Woolford had success in her junior career in all four events — she was the 2024 Rushmoor Rose Bowl all-around champion — she said the uneven bars are her favorite.
"I feel like bars just came more natural to me," she said.
Woolford said she signed with Georgia largely because of co-head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts.
"I knew the coaching would be great. I mean, Cécile coached Simone Biles — does it get any better than that? And then Ryan, he also worked with the national team and stuff like that, so I knew it would be a great opportunity," she said. "Once I got here, I was like, Oh, my goodness! I fell in love with it. I can't even imagine myself being anywhere else."
Staff Writer
Kelise Woolford's Georgia gymnastics career got started in familiar territory last Saturday. And the freshman sure looked right at home in her first meet.
Woolford is from Orange, N.J., but she trained at Buckeye Gymnastics in Columbus, Ohio. When the GymDogs opened their season at Ohio State, winning 197.000-196.250, Woolford was not only with her new teammates, she also had friends and former training partners on hand, as well.
"It was a lot of fun," she said. "I used to coach some younger gymnasts there, so I had some of the little ones at the meet, and my old coach was there, too, which was great, as well as some of my former teammates."
Woolford competed on the uneven bars and the balance beam in her first collegiate meet, and she earned co-champion honors in both events alongside Georgia junior Lily Smith. Both Woolford and Smith scored meet-highs of 9.925 on beam and 9.875 on bars.
"I'm pretty pleased with my performance, and just very thankful," Woolford said. "I know there's still some room for improvement, but getting back in the gym and just doing what I need to do, and listening to my coaches, it'll only come with time."
Transitioning from competing in top junior meets, which is largely an individual pursuit, to competing for the GymDogs is a big change, one that Woolford is embracing.
"Coming from the Elite world, it's very different," she said. "I'm so glad that I get to be engaged with my teammates and feel the support, whereas usually it's a little more quiet and more individual (at the Elite level). Being with my team and in that atmosphere, it was great."
Woolford got her first taste of performing in front of Georgia's legendary crowds at Stegeman Coliseum on Dec. 13, when the team held its GymDog Debut event. That was exciting, she said, but she knows the atmosphere will be even greater on Friday night, when No. 8-ranked Georgia hosts No. 2 LSU.
"All the girls are like, 'Steg is amazing! The crowd's so loud and everybody's so engaged!' so I can't wait for that," she said. "The Debut was great, everybody was so engaged for that, so I just can't imagine what it's going to be like when it's a real meet."
While the move up to competing for one of the most storied and successful gymnastics programs in collegiate history was one big change for Woolford, her adjustment to going to school at UGA has also been a big one. Woolford was homeschooled so that she could have time to travel and train, and now she's at a university with an enrollment of more than 43,000.
"Having to sit in a classroom and be engaged is definitely harder, but I got used to it," she said. "With homeschool, you have to manage your time pretty well, so I've been pretty good at staying on top of my assignments and stuff like that."
As a young girl, Woolford took part in cheer and dance, which share some common threads with gymnastics. It was when she saw Olympic gymnastics on television that her interest in the sport really took off.
"I was watching Gabby Douglas, and I was like, Oh, my gosh, I want to try to do that, that seems so fun," she said.
While Woolford had success in her junior career in all four events — she was the 2024 Rushmoor Rose Bowl all-around champion — she said the uneven bars are her favorite.
"I feel like bars just came more natural to me," she said.
Woolford said she signed with Georgia largely because of co-head coaches Cécile Canqueteau-Landi and Ryan Roberts.
"I knew the coaching would be great. I mean, Cécile coached Simone Biles — does it get any better than that? And then Ryan, he also worked with the national team and stuff like that, so I knew it would be a great opportunity," she said. "Once I got here, I was like, Oh, my goodness! I fell in love with it. I can't even imagine myself being anywhere else."
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
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ GymnasticsGeorgia Gymnastics - Co-Head Coach Mike White Postgame Press Conference vs.Ohio State
Monday, January 12
Georgia Gymnastics vs. Ohio State Postmeet Video Recap
Monday, January 12
Inside Georgia Gymnastics: Chasing Perfection - Episode 1
Thursday, January 08
Georgia Gymnastics vs. Oklahoma Postmeet Video Recap
Saturday, March 15