Putting the gold in the purple and gold
The reigning national champs kicked off their 2026 class with the biggest name of all.
LSU got their first commitment since winning the national championship Thursday when 2024 Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera announced her choice. Rivera is tied for 5th in College Gym News’ Class of 2026 recruit rankings along with uncommitted gymnasts Michelle Pineda and Alicia Zhou.
Rivera began her Level 10 career in 2018 at Eastern National Academy of Gymnastics in Paramus, New Jersey. In 2020, she moved to MG Elite in nearby Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. After the 2020 season was cut short by Covid, Rivera’s family moved to Texas so she could train at WOGA, one of the most famous elite gyms in the country.
In 2022, Rivera jumped onto the junior elite stage with a 3rd place finish at the Winter Cup in February. This earned her a spot on the U.S. junior team that competed in March at the 2022 DTB Pokal in Stuttgart, Germany. She was part of the gold medal winning team. In July, she finished 4th on vault, 2nd on floor, 1st on beam and 2nd in the all-around at the U.S. Classic. In August, she finished 6th in the all-around and 3rd on floor at the National Championships.
In 2023, Rivera broke out onto the scene. She won the beam, floor and all-around titles at the Winter Cup to earn an automatic spot on the U.S. team for the 2023 Junior World Championships. There, she helped the team earn a silver medal. She only did bars and beam at the U.S. Classic before winning the bars, beam and all-around titles at the National Championships a month later.
In 2024, Rivera became eligible to become a senior elite and made her senior debut at the Winter Cup. She finished 3rd in the all-around and tied for the beam title with current Florida freshman Skye Blakely. This earned her a spot on the U.S. team at the City of Jesolo Trophy, an event at which the U.S. won bronze. After not medaling at the U.S. Classic again, Rivera earned a 6th place finish in the all-around at the National Championships to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials. At the Olympic Trials, Rivera finished 8th on floor, 4th on bars, tied for 1st on beam with current Arkansas freshman Joscelyn Roberson and 5th in the all-around. The top five all-arounders ended up earning the five spots on the Olympic team.
Rivera scored a 13.900 on bars and a 12.633 on beam in the qualifying round of the Olympics, but she didn’t compete in the team final. She still won a gold medal because she competed in the qualifying round. Rivera was the youngest member of Team USA, so there’s a good chance she tries to train for LA 2028, an event which takes place in August following her sophomore season.
Rivera visited Florida and Oklahoma before visiting LSU Saturday. She visited alongside three others: 5-star Dulcy Caylor, 4-star Evey Lowe and 4-star Zoey Molomo.