Springfield College Men's Gymnastics

A former All-American gymnast at Springfield College, Matthew Davis '08 G'10 will begin his ninth season as the head coach for the Pride during the 2025-26 campaign. In 2025, Davis coached a team that saw 11 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships. The team finished fourth at the ECAC Championships and fifth at the USAG Championships with three gymnasts earning USAG All-America honors. Kaleb Palacio was the ECAC Champion on the floor exercise - he is the first to ever win this title on the floor exercise for the Pride and is the 18th student-athlete in Springfield College men's gymnastics history dating back to 1932 to win an ECAC individual title.11 student-athletes qualify for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships. He was also named a CGA Regular-Season All-American. Davis led the team to their third-straight season of qualifying for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships as a team in 2024. Peyton Cramer had a standout first season being named an All-American after finishing fifth on the pommel horse. It was the first time a Springfield College men's gymnast had earned the national honor since 2014 and prior to that, the first time a Springfield College men's gymnast made it to the finals was in 1984. Cramer was also named the ECAC Rookie of the Year, ECAC Specialist of the Year, a USAG All-America honoree, and earned CGA Regular-Season All-America honors. Davis was named the ECAC Coach of the Year while the rest of his staff was named the ECAC Men's Gymnastics Co-Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year. Sam Kaplan was named the ECAC Men's Gymnast of the Year, earned USAG All-America honors, and also earned CGA Regular-Season All-America honors. The team finished third at the ECAC Championships and fourth at the USAG Championships with four USAG All-Americans. In 2023, Davis put together an incredible season with the team finishing third at the USA Gymnastics Men's Collegiate National Championships for their highest finish since 2011. Davis was named the USA Men's Gymnastics National Co-Coach of the Year with the rest of his staff earned the USAG National Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year. Gymnasts David Handron and Jakarie Williams earned USAG National Champion honors on the still rings and floor exercise, respectively, which had not been done since 2012. The squad finished with 11 USAG All-America honorees for most in program history. The team took second at the ECAC Championships for the second-straight year while Dominic Ramalho was named the ECAC Men's Gymnast of the Year and the assistant coaches took home ECAC Men's Gymnastics Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The team also qualified for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships for the second consecutive season with the 11th-highest national qualifying score in the country, its best in program history. Davis put together a historic campaign in 2022 as Springfield became the first Division III program to ever qualify as a team for the NCAA National Collegiate Championships. The Pride, which tied a program record with nine USAG All-America honorees, would also finish as the runner-up at the ECAC Championships as Davis was tabbed the ECAC Coach of the Year.  In 2019, Davis coached six student-athletes who qualified for the NCAA National Collegiate Gymnastics Championships, with Stephen Lewis advancing to the individual finals on the vault, just two weeks removed from becoming the first Springfield College men's gymnast to ever win multiple ECAC all-around titles.  In his first season, Davis helped produced some historic accomplishments for several members of his program. Chris Graff qualified for the all-around individual finals of the 2018 NCAA National Collegiate Gymnastics Championship, marking the first time that a Springfield student-athlete has reached the all-around individual finals of the NCAA Division I Championship since 1960.  Additionally, Stephen Lewis won the all-around competition at the ECAC Championships, marking the first Springfield gymnast to achieve this feat since 1932.   Davis competed at Springfield College from 2004-2008, earning USAG All-America honors in the pommel horse in 2005.  A two-year captain, Davis was an exemplary student-athlete, earning USAG Academic All-America honors all four years with the Pride.  After graduating with a degree in Sport Management, Davis returned to Springfield where he worked as a graduate assistant coach with the men's gymnastics program while earning his Masters degree in Athletic Administration.  During his time as a graduate assistant coach with Springfield, Davis was tabbed the 2009 USAG Tri-Assistant Coach of the Year and was instrumental in the planning of the 100th Springfield College Gymnastics Exhibition Show, as well as the 2010 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Women's Gymnastics National Championship. After leaving Springfield, Davis worked in a variety of capacities within the gymnastics world at the club and high school levels, highlighted by a pair of Massachusetts state titles.

Springfield College Director of Athletics, Dr. Craig Poisson, is pleased to announce that Kael Donley '24 has been named a full-time assistant coach for the Springfield College men's gymnastics program. "I am extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to be the new assistant coach of the Springfield College Men's Gymnastics Team," said Donley. "Being a part of this program's success in the last four years as a student-athlete has inspired me to bring that same passion to this new role. I'm eager to apply my knowledge and energy to this already hardworking and dedicated team and to continue the tradition of excellence." During his time on Alden Street, Donley was a four-year member and two-time captain of the men's gymnastics program. Donley was also part of the only Division III men's gymnastics team to qualify for multiple NCAA National Collegiate Championships as the Pride appeared on the national stage in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Donley received his Bachelor's Degree in Communications and Sports Journalism in the spring of 2024 and was named as ECAC All-Academic in 2023. Out of the gym, Donley was a member of the Student Athlete Leadership Team as a part of the Student-Athlete Enhancement subcommittee. "Through the search process, Kael, a former student-athlete leader and two-time captain of our men's gymnastics program, expressed a strong desire to give back to the program," said Director of Athletics, Craig Poisson. "His Humanic approach to coaching will thrive under Head Coach Matt Davis's leadership. Donley previously served as an editor and social media manager for an open-access video podcast Talking Out of Line and has spent the last five years as a gymnastics coach at All Star Gymnastics in his home state of Louisiana. "I am really excited to have Kael step into an assistant coaching role for our program," said head coach Matt Davis. "As a two time captain, Kael has been a consistent leader for our team these last few years and is someone that will continue to help raise our program higher and further develop our student-athletes in and outside the gym."

Alexander Castro Perez is in his first season as a graduate assistant coach for the Springfield College men’s gymnastics program for the 2025-26 academic year.  The Houston, Tx. native graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology - motor behavior. Castro Perez was a member and captain of the men’s gymnastics during his time in College Station.  Castro Perez is part of the National Gymnastics Judges Association where he has judged local, regional, and international competitions along with using information to enhance coaching and routine construction education. He was also an assistant coach and co-women’s program coordinator at Powersports, Inc. where he created training regiments and seasonal budgets along with assisting in choreography and routine construction.  He is currently working on his Master of Business Administration and was an athletic administration and operations intern for the Springfield College athletic department in the fall of 2025.