Former LIU gymnast Sydney Morris accuses coach Randy Lane of abuse after retiring from the sport earlier this year

Former LIU athletes Sydney Morris, Katy Koopman, and eight other athletes have accused gymnastics coach Randy Lane and assistant coach Olivia Courtney of mentally and emotionally abusing them during their time at the school. All of the 10 athletes have left from the university with Morris even retiring earlier this year.

Morris joined LIU in the 2022-23 season and qualified for the NCAA regional. She was named EAGL Rookie for the 2023 season and set a program record of 39.275 in the all-around competition. Morris also set program records on the vault and floor.

Morris was part of the LIU gymnastics in early 2024 but left the program after March. She also announced her retirement from the sport and has now come out with allegations of abuse against the coaches of the program, which is likely the reason behind her retirement from the sport, or at least leaving LIU in her second year itself.

Sydney Morris released a joint statement with ten other former LIU athletes, four named and six anonymous, accusing coach Randy Lane and Olivia Courtney of misconduct, abuse, and rude behavior.

"Hi everyone. me and a group of 10 others - some named and some anonymous - have recently come together to use our voices and share our stories of our time as a part of the LIU gymnastics team. We wanted to bring this forward for people to see and understand the truths of the coaching at this school. We would also like to further clarify that these statements have NOTHING to do with the school as a whole or the team itself, only the main coaches guiding it. We would also like to clarify that no current athletes on the LIU gym team made statements and would like to keep them out of this whirlpool. We hope you'll take the time to read and understand where we're coming from. We also hope that no hate gets spread to anyone involved or uninvolved. Thank you," Sydney Morris captioned the multi-page statement on Instagram

Sydney Morris accused Lane of interfering with their schedules and not adjusting if their practice schedules clashed with class timings. She also revealed that she once ‘had a severe anxiety attack’ after forgetting to pack her team shoes because she was afraid of Lane's reaction to her mistake.

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Sydney Morris’ retirement had sparked doubts over LIU Gymnastics coaching staff earlier as well

Sydney Morris has been a standout performer for LIU Gymnastics in the last two years. However, when she left the school earlier this year in her second year, doubts were raised over the University’s coaching and management, with Morris being one of several other gymnasts leaving the school mid-year.

Katy Koopman left the school last year, and so did Talia Folio and Jules Rider, the three of the other ten named in the statement.

A user claimed on Reddit that 25 gymnasts had left the school since 2021, the same year it started the gymnastics program. Another criticised the school's management.

The coaches, Randy Lane and Olivia Courtney, haven't responded to the allegations yet.