Madison Kirsch, Makayla McMahon and Julieta Mediola will join the San José State women's gymnastics team, beginning with the 2021 season, as announced by head coach Joanne Bowers.
Madison Kirsch
Kirsch, the daughter of Robin and Jonathan Kirsch from Scottsdale, Ariz., competes for the Arizona Sunrays and is coached by Dan Witenstein and Pam Evans. She was the 2019 Arizona Level 10 beam champion with a 9.625 and finished second in the all-around and on bars at the meet. Kirsch competed at the 2018 World Maccabi Games where she earned a bronze on balance beam. She has a twin sister, Ashlyn.
Why Maddy chose San José State
"I chose San José State because I love the coaches and the team. I think I will fit in really well and can't wait to grow throughout the next four years in the program. I also really enjoy where San José State is located."
Coach Bowers on Maddy
"Maddy is from a strong club program at Arizona Sunrays and has the potential to help us right away on vault, but more importantly, on every event. She has some very unique beam skills and a very nice look to her gymnastics."
Makayla McMahon
McMahon, the daughter of Hiyasmin and Christopher McMahon from Clovis, Calif., competes for V-Force Elite Gymnastics in Madera and is coached by Katelyn Walls and Megan Hergie. She finished fourth on vault, eighth on beam and the all-around and ninth on the bars at the 2019 Region I Championships and is the first Level 10 gymnast at her club to commit to a college program. McMahon also competed for Clovis High School where she was a two-time district champion and won the Sassano Blanket Award for outstanding athlete.
Why Makayla chose San José State
"I chose San José State for a few reasons. One is the locality because I get to stay relatively close to family. Also, I really love the atmosphere that is created by the team and the coaches. The way the team interacts with each other is amazing, and I cannot wait to be a part it in the fall."
Coach Bowers on Makayla
"Makayla is coming back from an injury and showing great progress. She is a very talented athlete, and we expect her to really thrive in college. She is powerful and has a good vault we can use right away. We think she has a high ceiling and will just keep getting better."
Julieta Mendiola
Mendiola, the daughter of Laura and Sergio Mendiola from Dublin, Calif., competed for Head Over Heels Athletic Arts in Emeryville this year and was coached by Katreece Stone, Lori O'Dell, Mikaela Glass and Yunxiao Gao. She previously trained and competed for California Gymnastics Academy. Mendiola won the all-around at two meets this past club season – Houston National Invitational and 2020 Golden State Classic. She was the Level 9 vault champion at the 2019 state meet and finished second in the all-around, bars and floor. Mendiola then tied for first on vault at the 2019 Region 1 Championships where she was second on the beam and fourth in the all-around.
Why Julieta chose San José State
"I chose San José State because doing college gymnastics has been a goal of mine, and getting the opportunity to do so at SJSU is a complete blessing which I am forever thankful. The school is close to home, and the environment has a very urban-like welcoming feel to it that I like. SJSU also has a really good teacher education program that matches my major, so it was the perfect fit! After getting to know the coaches and gymnasts on the team, I knew these were the people I wanted to surround myself with and be able to call my Spartan family.
Coach Bowers on Julieta
"I had a chance to work with her at California Gymnastics Academy when I first moved to California. She is one of the hardest workers and a great teammate. When her gym dropped their optional program last summer, Julie moved over to Head Over Heals and has really improved her difficulty level. She was prepared to compete new skills at the end of her club season before it was cut short by COVID-19. We expect her to surprise some people as she blossoms in college.
Coach Bowers on the three joining the Spartan team
"Maddy, Makayla and Julieta will be great additions to our team. We have a strong, positive culture within our current team and have worked diligently to make sure to add people that have similar core values to ensure we keep moving forward as a program. They are all strong students and take great pride in their academics as well as their gymnastics. We needed to add more depth to our small team and with the three gymnasts we signed in November (Lauren Macpherson, Jaudai Lopes and Natasha Forrand) along with these three gymnasts, we have accomplished this goal. The future is bright for the Spartans!"
# # #