A couple of weeks ago, MCHS junior Esphyr Koren announced her commitment to the Division I gymnastics program at the University of Arizona on a full-ride scholarship. Koren has been a gymnast since age 4 and has competed in countless meets throughout her career. When deciding where she wanted to attend college, she visited several campuses and considered team culture, campus environment, academics and the program’s athletic success.
Koren said she knew almost immediately that Arizona was the right fit. “As soon as I stepped off the plane in Arizona,” she said, “I realized that this was the right place for me.” One major factor in her decision was the program’s tight-knit team dynamic. “I really like the way the team interacted with each other,” she said after meeting several athletes and forming new friendships during her visit.
She also developed a strong connection with the coaching staff. “I felt that I related to one of their coaches well, and I overall liked her personality,” Koren said.
The University of Arizona’s campus helped solidify her choice. She described it as beautiful and a place where she could genuinely picture herself living and training. Although academics are very important to her, Koren said she prioritized athletics when making her final decision.
Koren’s commitment to both her sport and her schoolwork is evident in her demanding daily routine. She trains at a gym in Cincinnati, nearly a two-hour drive from Madison. To manage this schedule, she attends only five class periods a day so she can arrive at practice on time.
Balancing school and gymnastics is not easy, Koren admits. “My biggest challenge is actually exhaustion,” she said. To keep up, she tries to complete most of her homework and classwork during the school day to avoid falling behind.
A little more than a week after her official visit, Arizona offered Koren a full scholarship. Her initial reaction was, “I was filled with gratitude and said thank you very much, but on the inside, I was shaking from excitement.”
Koren’s gymnastics journey began when she was 4 years old. “My mom put me in it because I wouldn’t stop cartwheeling around the house,” she said. Her mother, who was also a gymnast and competed for Yale University, played a significant role in fostering her early love for the sport.
Over the years, Koren has faced her share of challenges. One of the biggest was “definitely losing my dismount,” she said, explaining that it remains a struggle today. Despite this, bars is still her favorite and strongest event. “It has always just clicked for me,” she added.
Looking ahead to her senior year, Koren hopes to once again qualify for the Nastia Liukin Cup, one of her favorite elite competitions for Level 10 gymnasts. She is already excited about her future with the University of Arizona gymnastics program.
“I feel like the atmosphere, the student section, the choreography—it’s just so special,” she said.
