UCLA gymnast Nya Reed is a Delta, an All-American and a role model

LOS ANGELES – When former University of Florida all-around gymnast Nya Reed, first toured the campus of UCLA, she instantly fell in love with how the school sits in position between the quiet Los Angeles suburbs and sleepless heart of the city.

Known for her lively floor routines and powerful vault displays, Reed channels her inner Hollywood star “Lil Red” every time she steps onto the mat. 

“Music is one thing I am good at,” Reed said. “I want people to get up and want to dance during my routines. I want people to want to watch me or when they see me perform, I want them to say, ‘This is my song, let me see what she’s about to do!’ ”

After competing in her senior season in 2022, the six-time NCAA All-American chose to take a break from the blue mat to focus on her mental health and is now embarking on a self-proclaimed comeback tour as a Bruin.

“I have definitely evolved into a different type of athlete,” Reed said. “I am a better teammate now and have my own type of athleticism. I feel like now I am more patient with my gymnastics and knowing it’s a learning process. Taking in every part of the process is what leads up to the big awards and the big wins.”

At Florida, Reed scored a perfect 10 on her floor routine twice. This season at UCLA, she is inching towards her third 10 after scoring a 9.975 on floor against Arizona on Feb. 4. As she commences her 20th year as a gymnast, she is still chasing perfection as a Bruin but this time around it is for a different reason.

“Now, anytime I put my warm-up on, I literally do it for little girls,” Reed said. “I don’t do this for me. We need more women in sports and we need to be recognized for all of our hard work. I want little girls, especially the ones that look like me to feel more comfortable in those spots when they occupy them.”

At the John Wooden Center while her teammates are practicing their floor routines, Reed often helps them play their music and can be seen giving a pep talk to her teammates on uneven bars. With almost half of the season behind Reed, she has seen this generosity come back to her.

On Dec. 15, Reed went viral for her tribute to her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at UCLA’s Meet the Bruins. She credits UCLA assistant coach and choreographer Bijoya ‘BJ’ Das for encouraging her to add some of her sorority’s international strolling traditions into her routine. 

Reed and her mother Katrina Smith are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Members of this National Pan-Hellenic Council Divine Nine sorority are often referred to as “The Redz.” Growing up, Reed often copied signature Delta symbols that she would see her mother and her mother’s line sisters do in fellowship. Reed’s alter ego “Lil Red” originates from a nickname given to Reed from her family. 

“Lil Red is fiery,” Reed said. “Nya is goofy and funny but Lil Red is a go-getter. ‘Let’s get it going. Y’all came to see a show and I’m about to give y’all what y’all want.’ I have high expectations for Lil Red and she always shows up and shows out every time.”

To Reed, Lil Red is not only a mindset. Lil Red is a real person with burgundy hair and magenta highlights to match.

Das has choreographed multiple viral routines in her five years at UCLA. She is also the mastermind behind Tokyo Olympic silver-medalist and UCLA’s own Jordan Chiles’ 2023 Pac-12 championship floor routine. She has created four floor routines that received 10s in her career. Her Olympic history also includes choreographing for Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history, on her Gold Over America Tour.

“I think I am able to pull from my experience as a dancer in the industry,” Das said.

“I have studied a plethora of dance styles over the years and being in the industry, I know what’s going on in pop culture.”

Famously starring in Beyonce’s music video for the four-time platinum record “Run the World (Girls),” the former University of Washington gymnast has also performed with Usher, Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber and more.

In January 2021, Das’ floor choreography for former UCLA gymnast Nia Dennis went viral twice, compiling 11 million views and receiving a Twitter shoutout from former first lady Michelle Obama. Her UCLA routines have also received attention from Grammy award-winning artist Janet Jackson.

Now that’s what I call fierce! You’re a star, @DennisNia! ⭐️👏🏾 https://t.co/aKUD9YO0FW

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 26, 2021

“I thought viral routines weren’t really a thing anymore because of the rise in Tik Tok and the world taking a liking to shorter videos but going viral isn’t on my mind,” Das said. “I just hope the public likes all the routines and just comes to the meets to watch the girls perform.”

Das taught a short Beyonce themed routine and saw Reed’s inner star come out. Das believes UCLA is a great opportunity for Reed, but in the same breath emphasized how lucky the program is to have Reed.

“They don’t have to dance a certain way just because they are gymnasts,” Das said. “There’s no limits on the ways you can perform in gymnastics. It’s limitless and we can do whatever we want.”

Reed and Das explained floor routines take an abundant amount of time to create. Reed said she is particular about every aspect of the routine and song selection. The song selection process includes Das and the gymnast sitting down to pick songs, then the two work together to pick out which portions of the songs they want to use. The songs are sent off to an audio engineer to create the custom mix. 

Before Reed committed to UCLA, Reed and Das spent over two hours on the phone. 

“It wasn’t all gymnastics,” Reed said. “When we were on the phone, she mentioned how I was in a sorority before I said anything. It made me feel really good that she did her research on me, especially because she isn’t someone that is a part of Black Greek culture. So, for her to know, that meant a lot.”

Prior to Reed, no UCLA gymnast had worn their Greek letters during their floor routine and Reed wanted to make history. 

“I wanted to use my platform and see how far I could go,” Reed said. “As a part of D9, it is a part of my duty to create awareness of these organizations. Gymnastics is a big part of my life but joining my sorority was, too. I hope the people that saw the leotard and didn’t know what it was took the time to search it and learn.”

Parts of Reed’s Delta tribute were posted by Black Enterprise and other Black Greek Instagram pages. Fellow student-athletes including LSU women’s basketball standout Angel Reese also took time to praise the new Bruin but she was mostly excited about Black Entertainment Television (BET) recognizing her and hopes to attend its annual awards show one day.

“I wanted to use my platform and see how far I could go. As a part of D9, it is a part of my duty to create awareness of these organizations. Gymnastics is a big part of my life but joining my sorority was, too. I hope the people that saw the leotard and didn’t know what it was took the time to search it and learn.”

– Nya Reed

The strict schedule of a student-athlete also made it difficult for Reed to connect with people that looked like her while at UF. In 2010, 7.9% of students at UF were Black. As of fall 2022, 5.88% of women attending UF were Black and 3.82% of UF male students were Black men. This made it hard for Reed to be in-tune with the Black community of campus. Becoming a member of her sorority helped close the gap for her.

Reed’s mother joined the Gamma Rho Chapter at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh and met Reed’s father on campus where he was a member of the Kappa Epsilon Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Reed grew up attending the university’s homecomings and always dreamed of the moment she could wear crimson and cream.

“When she told me she was doing Delta, my heart was overflowing with joy,” Smith said. “I always told Nya she needs to find her own way. She has made the same lifetime commitment to service that I did. It’s an unconditional sisterhood with unexpected friendships.”

As a little girl growing up in Fort Washington, Maryland, Reed had her own in-house superhero in her mother. 

Instead of sending Reed to their neighborhood public school, Smith enrolled her daughter in Progressive Christian Academy in Temple Hills, Maryland. Reed attended school with former University of Kentucky all-around gymnast Taylor Puryear, where Puryear’s mother taught both of the girls.

“Taylor’s mom told my mom one day that I am a ball of energy that just won’t sit down,” Reed said. “She told my mom that I won’t stop going upside down and flipping all over school. She told her that she should put me in gymnastics. She told my mom about Taylor’s gym and ever since I’ve been in love.”

For more than 30 hours a week, Reed trained with Tatiana Perskaia, Capital Gymnastics National Training Center’s head coach and a USA Gymnastics Women’s National Team coaching staff member. At the collegiate level, student-athletes can only practice for four hours a day with a maximum of 20 hours per week. Reed believes her dedication to herself and long hours at a young age is on display now as she is reaping the benefits.

While growing up, Reed had morning and evening practices which required getting up early in the morning. Smith would leave during her lunch break to go get Reed and then come back later to take her to and from evening practice. The training center was an hour away from Reed’s home.

“It was a juggling act,” Smith said. “Sometimes I would have to take leave from work to get Nya to practice. Other family members also had to help out. It really takes a village for her to live out her dream.”

“When she told me she was doing Delta, my heart was overflowing with joy. I always told Nya she needs to find her own way. She has made the same lifetime commitment to service that I did. It’s an unconditional sisterhood with unexpected friendships.”

– Katrina Smith

Reed was often told she would need to be homeschooled if she wanted to be dedicated to the sport. Smith and Reed were adamant about Reed having a normal life. She attended all of her homecoming dances, participated in powder puff games, went to prom, participated in the Dr. Betty Shabazz Delta Gems Academy and even took on track and field in the 11th grade at Flint Hill High School in Oakton, Virginia. 

The four-time SEC Specialist of the Week believed she peaked late and was not sure if Division I gymnastics was in her future. Reed’s execution caught the eye of Florida assistant coach Adrian Burde at the Junior Olympics and she committed to the program in 2017. The 2022 All-SEC team member graduated from Florida in the summer of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in applied physiology and kinesiology.

In her mother’s eyes, one of the main elements that allowed Reed to be successful is she let the coaches do the coaching and stood to the side to be Reed’s No. 1 fan.

“We are committed to making sure we support Nya,” Smith said. “Regardless of where she is, we are committed to Nya, not just the sport. We also would send her things in the mail just to let her know we are thinking about her.”

Before deciding on where she would spend her last year of collegiate eligibility, Reed spent the summer of 2023 interning at Kaizo Health in Fairfax, Virginia, under Dr. Michaela Hogg while also going back to train with Perskaia at Capital Gymnastics NTC. When searching for a career for her post-gymnastic life, Reed knew she wanted a job that was a mixture of a fast-paced environment, no desk, her passion for women’s health and her desire to fight the injustices Black women face when giving birth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the country. Black women are three times more likely to die due to a pregnancy-related reason than white women.

Reed feels like there is also a false notion that Black women can take more than women of other races and men.

“The fact that ethnic women are not treated fairly when it comes to maternal health has always blown my mind,” Reed said. “I’ve always been curious about why. Is it because of medicine? Is it because of bad or good doctors? Why are all these Black women still dying when we have all of these advanced practices today?

“No woman should die while giving birth or experience medical neglect. I am going to be a part of change in the medical field.”

When Reed is not practicing, she is editing YouTube videos or going through pictures she has taken of her friends, family, line sisters or her outfits. She loves to travel and said one of the best parts of going to UCLA is being able to see new places across the west coast.

“I record and take pictures of everything,” Reed said. “Anything big or small, I am going to be the friend that records it. I’ve loved to create videos and vlogs but I never posted them.” 

Reed shares her love for content with UCLA freshman all-around gymnast Paige Anastasi. Reed and Anastasi both have personal YouTube channels. Anastasi pushed Reed to be more consistent with posting YouTube videos and told Reed the world deserves to see her amazing personality.

Reed posts every Sunday and wants to ensure fans viewing her channel get an authentic experience. She is especially looking forward to using the vlogging grip stick she received for Christmas. Since Reed is on the opposite coast of her loved ones, she said looking back on old memories she has documented is the equivalent of a hug from them.

“I’m really excited about it (my YouTube channel) because I feel like during the season, there will be a lot that people want to see,” Reed said. “I don’t sugar coat anything. It’s all raw and uncut. Every athlete goes through a lot and every day isn’t great and my channel shows that.”

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Reed said she wants to “be more than just the girl that flips.” She is challenging herself to remain disciplined with her skills while staying consistent with her content. 

At practice, as UCLA gymnastics head coach Janelle McDonald rallied the group together to end, she gave the team an opportunity to give shoutouts to their teammates. Four of Reed’s teammates pointed out her commitment to nailing her floor routine. Reed ended the circle reminding the group to make the most out of the time they have on the team and to make everything count.

Before the team ended practice that day, they gathered for a manifestation huddle, “Natty Champs on three: 1-2-3, Natty Champs!”

“Discipline is major for me. When I was a teenager, I couldn’t do everything that other teenagers were doing,” Reed said. “At the end of the day, all of us have a goal but who’s going to reach it? I have a moment to do this and I have to seize this moment.”