TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The honors continue to stream in for Alabama gymnast Kayla Hoffman, who was named the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, on Thursday. Hoffman is a two-time senior national team member 2005-06 and 2006-07.
"Kayla continues to reap the rewards of an incredible career," UA gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson said. "To earn a place on the Academic All-American At-Large team is such a wonderful honor in itself, but to be named the Academic All-American of the Year is a truly awesome recognition of the all around excellence that Kayla brought to every aspect of her collegiate career."
A Human Development and Family Studies major with a perfect 4.0 grade point average, Hoffman capped off her brilliant career by leading Alabama to its fifth NCAA gymnastics championship in April.
The winner of the 2011 Honda Award, presented to the national collegiate gymnast of the year, the Union, N.J. native earned first team All-American honors in the all-around, vault and balance beam in 2011 in leading Alabama to the national championship.
A five-time All-American, Hoffman became the first student-athlete to be named as the Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year and the SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season.
Named the NCAA Central Region Gymnast of the Year, she won the vault, bars, floor and all-around titles at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. During the 2011 season, she won 29 event titles and scored 9.90 or better 30 times.
The recipient of post-graduate scholarships from the NCAA and the SEC, Hoffman won 55 event titles in her career and posted 78 scores of 9.90 or better. In addition to leading the Tide to the 2011 championship, she was part of UA’s NCAA runner-up finish in 2009 and third place team in 2010.