Former Oklahoma gymnast Ragan Smith strengthens Iowa State gymnastics squad with notable move

Ragan Smith has strengthened the Iowa State gymnastics roster by joining the team as an assistant coach for the Ashley Miles Greig led program. The 24-year-old previously competed for the Oklahoma Sooners gymnastics team and is a five-time NCAA All-American.

During the 2025 season, the Georgia-born athlete was part of the Oklahoma Sooners team as a student coach. Notably, Oklahoma claimed its seventh national title with an overall score of 198.0125 in 2025, securing a comfortable victory over the other finalists - UCLA (197.6125), Missouri (197.250), and Utah (197.2375).

Following Oklahoma’s successful NCAA campaign, Smith has joined the Iowa State gymnastics team in a major role. The official Instagram handle of Iowa State Gymnastics announced Smith’s addition, captioning the post:

“We’re excited to announce the newest member of our coaching staff 🤩 Welcome to the Cyclone Family, Ragan!”

Besides being a star gymnast for Oklahoma, Ragan Smith also represented the USA national team. While she earned a gold medal in the women’s team all-around as an alternate on the U.S. World Championships squad in 2018, an injury ruled her out of the all-around and floor exercise finals at the 2017 Worlds, despite qualifying for both.

When Ragan Smith wrote a heartwarming message after graduation from University of Oklahoma

Ragan Smith at NCAA Women's National Championship 2024- Source: Getty

Ragan Smith wrote a heartfelt note to the University of Oklahoma after representing the gymnastics team for five years, from 2020 to 2024. In a May 2024 Instagram post, Smith shared how honored she felt to have spent those years at Oklahoma, both as a student and gymnast. Reflecting on her journey, she wrote:

“All I have to say is that time flew by right before my eyes. It has been the best 5 years here of my life and it has been such an honor to represent the University of Oklahoma. I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that has been by my side through this process because I could not have done it without you.”

She also shared her gratitude to the university in helping her accomplishing her dream.

“Thank you so much for making my dream become a reality! I will forever be a Sooner for life! It’s time to graduate 🎊🎉.”

As an athlete for the Oklahoma Sooners, Smith played an instrumental role in the team becoming a two-time NCAA Champion in 2022 and 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2021. Additionally, she bagged two bronze medals in the individual balance beam events at the 2024 and 2021 NCAA Championships.

About the author

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout