BERKELEY– With graceful artistry and powerful tumbling, women's gymnastics is getting the best of both worlds in its two newest Golden Bears, as Cassidy Keelen and Rachael Mastrangelo inked NLIs to join Cal, head coached Justin Howell announced Wednesday.
All-arounder Keelen, out of Lucas, Texas, adds complex skills along with artistry and charisma to Cal's 2016-17 roster. Mastrangelo, from Waxhaw, N.C., will provide the Bears with an immediate boost of power on vault and floor.
"Both Cassidy and Rachael embody what we look for in a Cal student-athlete,” Howell said. “They each possess a passion for academics and athletics, and they have a strong desire to compete for the No. 1 public university in the world. We are thrilled to have them join our Cal family."
Keelen, who trains with the Texas Dreams, was a member of the 2015 Junior Olympic National Team, turning in runner-up finishes on all-around and vault while claiming third on floor and fourth on beam at JO Nationals. With a wide range of skills, Keelen has claimed numerous titles at the state and regional level, including the beam crown at the Texas State Championships this year and on vault and beam at Regionals in 2014. She has posted top-three all-around finishes in all seven of her all-around meets this season. Keelen also began her year by qualifying to the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup, where she turned in top-three performances in three events and finished ninth all-around.
"Cassidy is a true all-around gymnast with a very high level of difficulty and artistry," Howell said. "Cassidy loves to perform and draws the audience in with her when she's on the competition floor. She is going to shine on the NCAA stage."
Mastrangelo is another talent expected to strengthen Cal's lineups when she arrives on campus. With her Southeastern Gymnastics Club in North Carolina, Mastrangelo turned in a 15th place finish at Nationals in 2015. This year, she helped lead Southeastern to Level 10 Team of the Year honors. Her strength will complement Cal's powerful and exciting vault and floor lineups, as Mastrangelo's high marks for the year include an impressive 9.825 on vault.
"Rachael is a powerful vaulter and floor worker. We will look for her to make an immediate impact on those events," Howell said. "With the recent changes we have made to our NCAA vault code, Rachael's Yurchenko one-and-a-half twist vault will immediately strengthen our vault lineup.”
Learn more about both of Cal's NLI signees below:
Cassidy Keelen
Hometown: Lucas, Texas
High School: Laurel Springs High School
Gymnastics Club: Texas Dreams
Events: AA
High School/Club:
Member of the Texas Dreams gym club since 2010, coached by Kim Zmeskal-Burdette and Chris Burdette…2015 JO National Team member…Runner-up on all-around and vault, and third on floor and fourth on beam at 2015 JO Nationals…Beam Champion at the 2015 Level 10 Texas State Championships and Regional Championships; Also claimed second all-around at both meets…Runner-up on floor at Level 10 Regionals…Posted a second-place finish on bars at Level 10 State competition…Invited to the 2015 Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup following an outstanding performance at the 2015 WOGA Classic, winning bars (9.80) and earning second in all-around (38.775), vault (9.75) and beam (9.725); fourth on floor (9.5)…Top-three all-around finisher in all seven meets of her 2015 season…Posted top 10 finishes in three events at the Supergirl Cup – vault (2nd), beam (4th) and floor (8th) with a ninth-place all-around total…Fifth all-around, second on floor and eighth on beam at 2014 JO Nationals…Vault and beam champion at Level 10 Regionals, third all-around (2014)…Floor champion at 2013 Regionals and runner-up on vault and all-around…Impressive performance at the 2012 Level 10 Regionals saw her take the all-around and floor crown and finish as a runner-up on vault and bars…Two-time Level 10 state floor and all-around champion (2012, 2013)…Also bars champion in 2012 and vault champion in 2013…Fifth all-around, second on beam and seventh on floor at JO Nationals (2012)…Western National All-Around Champion (2011)
Personal:
Started gymnastics in the second grade…Enjoys cooking and spending time with family and friends….Would like to attend medical school and become a dermatologist…Parents are Greg and Stephanie…Brother, Blake, attends Colorado State
Rachael Mastrangelo
Hometown: Waxhaw, North Carolina
High School: Marvin Ridge High School
Gymnastics Club: Southeastern Gymnastics
Events: AA
High School/Club:
Competed at 2015 Nationals, turning in a 15th place all-around finish…Best marks in 2015 include 9.825 on vault, 9.5 on bars, 9.65 on beam and 9.575 on floor…Coached by Ludmilla Shobe at Southeastern Gymnastics…Southeastern was named Region 8 Club of the Year and ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2012…Helped Southeastern to Level 10 Team of the Year honors in 2015…Involved in high school's Beta Club and Key Club…Three-time Academic Excellence honoree at Marvin Ridge (Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Spring 2015)
Personal:
Took four online classes along with balancing her gymnastics schedule during the summer of 2015 in order to attend Cal early…Would like to attend grad school and pursue a profession in the medical/health field…Hobbies include cooking, spending time with family and friends, adventuring and enjoying nature…Parents are Daniele and Linda Jo Mastrangelo… Mother, Linda Jo, was a track and field athlete at the University of Delaware…Has one younger sister, Rebecca