Gymnast of the Week awards are given by conference offices.
Gymnast of the Week
Emily Shepard – NC State
Shepard led NC State with a season-high all-around total of 39.525. The fifth year won three of the four events on her way to securing the all-around crown. She earned first-place honors on bars (9.875) and floor (9.900) and finished tied for first on vault (9.850). The native of Olathe, Kansas, recorded back-to-back scores of 9.9+ on beam and floor in the Pack’s final two rotations, recording a 9.900 on beam that resulted in a second-place finish and was one of three 9.9+ scores for NC State on beam against North Carolina. Her all-around showing led NC State to its best team score of the season, with a 196.725 erasing the Pack’s previous season-high of 196.500. Additionally, in 44 years of NC State gymnastics, only one score has eclipsed Shepard’s all-around mark from this weekend, with Shepard being one of four gymnasts in program history to have recorded a 39.550.
Co-Specialists of the Week
Rebecca Wells – Clemson
Wells turned in the beam performance of her career on Friday night in Clemson’s win at Pitt. The redshirt senior scored a 9.925, tying a career-high. Her score was the only score above a 9.900 in the meet and is the highest beam score of the season by an ACC gymnast. The Smyrna, Texas, native took home the event win, as well as winning floor with a 9.900 and the all-around competition (39.450) on Friday night. Wells added a 9.775 on bars and a personal-best 9.850 on vault.
Alexis Ortega – NC State
Ortega competed in three events for the Wolfpack against North Carolina, with her performance highlighted by a career-best 9.925 on beam that led to a first-place finish in the event and her fourth podium finish of the 2024 season. The Tampa, Florida, native’s 9.925 on beam helped push NC State to a 49.400 score in the event during its third rotation, the Pack’s best score on beam this season and its best score of any single rotation so far this year. The score marked the sixth 9.9+ score of her career, four of which have come on beam. Ortega additionally competed on vault and bars for the Wolfpack, tabbing a 9.775 on vault and a 9.800 on bars.
Newcomer of the Week
Camryn Rueda – North Carolina
Rueda posted a career-high 9.875 on floor at NC State to tie for second overall, obliterating her previous career-best of 9.725. The Salem, New Hampshire, native’s score was not only the highest score on floor among all conference freshmen this week, it was the highest score recorded on any event by an ACC rookie over the weekend. Additionally, the 9.875 was the second-highest score posted among all ACC gymnasts on floor this week.
Co-Gymnasts of the Week
Mia Takekawa – Illinois
Sierra Brooks – Michigan
Co-Event Specialists of the Week
Mya Hooten – Minnesota
Kinsey Davis – Nebraska
Freshman of the Week
Eva Volpe – Iowa
Gymnast of the Week
Jessica Hutchinson – Denver
Hutchinson tallied a winning all-around score of 39.825, the highest recorded by a Big 12 gymnast in three seasons. In a tri-meet with Iowa State and SE Missouri State, the senior started the meet setting a career-high 9.975 on vault and her first event title of the day. She then finished second on the bars apparatus and captured another first-place win on the beam with a score of 9.950. The three-time WCGA Scholastic All-American registered her third overall perfect 10.0 and third event title when she concluded DU’s floor rotation. Hutchinson tied the program record for the highest all-around score while she ranks fourth nationally this season with a 39.646 average.
Specialist of the Week
Mia Hebinck – Denver
Hebinck claimed her second-consecutive Event Specialist of the Week honor after she scored a 9.925 on the uneven bars. While helping the DU lineup record its second-highest score of 49.475 on bars this season, the junior claimed her second straight title in the event. Overall, the team posted wins over Iowa State and SE Missouri State with a final score of 197.775, tied for fifth in the program history book. Hebinck ranks within the top 10 on the national individual leaderboard in bars.
Newcomer of the Week
Keira Wells – Oklahoma
Wells is the first Sooner to earn Newcomer of the Week and is the second OU freshman to be honored by the Conference this season. She recorded the first 9.9+ score of her career during her vault routine with a 9.925. Competing against BYU, Utah State and Texas Woman’s, the 2024 Sooner vault lineup tallied their second-highest score of 49.550 on the event. The freshman also competed in beam and tallied a 9.875 score that contributed to Oklahoma’s season-high 198.450 score.
Gymnast of the Week
Kylie Gorgenyi – New Hampshire
Gorgenyi set a career high of 9.925 on floor to tie for first place overall at the New Hampshire quad meet with Towson, Brown and Rutgers on February 11. Currently the graduate student ranks third in EAGL on floor with a 9.855 average. At the quad meet she earned three other podium finishes including her fourth all-around victory of the season with a score of 39.275. Gorgenyi ranks first in EAGL on all-around.
Specialist of the Week
Elise Tisler – Towson
At the New Hampshire quad meet on February 11 she picked up her second individual win of the season on vault after posting a career high 9.925 which ties Towson’s top score on the event this season. The junior now ranks second in EAGL on vault with a 9.838 average. On floor she logged her second highest score of the season, receiving a 9.875.
Co-Rookies of the Week
Alina Danilchenko – LIU
Danilchenko scored two career highs on beam (9.8) and floor (9.875) at the Empire State Collegiate Championship on February 11. She led off for the team on floor, placing second overall which marked her first top three finish as a Shark.
Retoshia Halsell – Towson
Halsell logged a 9.825 on vault for fifth place at the New Hampshire quad meet on February 11 which marked her third score above 9.8 on the event this season. The freshman was also the anchor on floor for the Tigers where she posted a collegiate career high 9.800.
Gymnast of the Week
Skye Kerico – Penn
Sophomore Skye Kerico made her all-around debut for the Quakers in a double meet weekend. Starting in a quad meet at Towson vs GW and W&M, Kerico earned a season high 9.875 on bars and tied her career high on floor (9.825) in her first time competing the event this season. She took the all-around title with a career high 39.15, a personal best. Moving on to the second meet of the weekend in a quad meet vs Cornell, W&M and Bridgeport, Kerico swept the vault, bars, beam and all-around titles, which led her to another career high all-around score of 39.225. Her stellar performance tied for the second highest individual all-around score.
Specialist of the Week
Julia Bedell – Brown
Bedell anchored and won both her events this weekend against the Bulldogs from Yale. She earned a 9.8 on vault and an impressive 9.9 on floor. Her floor score is tied for the seventh-best score in program history. Her performances were critical in helping Brown overtake Yale on the final rotation to win the dual meet with a season-high score of 194.025.
Newcomer of the Week
Avery Byun – Cornell
Byun had a great meet and made some excellent decisions during her routines, showing she has the ability to adjust on the fly. She was consistently solid on all three events that she competed, including a stellar floor routine which earned her a 9.85 and a tie for 1st place finish. Bun also earned a 9.65 on vault, and a 9.625 on beam. The Big Red coaches are excited to see Byun grow from here.
Gymnast of the Week
Raisa Boris – Eastern Michigan
Raisa Boris contributed to the Eagles’ 196.100 winning score over BGSU, WVU, and Fisk, with an all-around victory score of 39.350. It was her fourth consecutive all-around win and her fifth overall this season. The senior took first place on bars with a season-high/career-high-tying 9.875 and first on floor with another season-high/career-high-tying 9.875.
Specialist of the Week
Alyssa Guns – Kent State
Alyssa Guns won a pair of events to lead Kent State to a 196.925 team total on Sunday against NIU, the third-highest score in program history. The junior earned a career-high 9.925 on beam to tie for the event crown. She also tied with two other Golden Flashes to win on floor with another 9.925. Guns has scored 9.9+ on floor three times this season and leads the MAC with a 9.890 average in the event.
Gymnast of the Week
Lydia Webb – SEMO
The Wylie, Texas-native had an outstanding weekend beginning with Friday night’s meet at the United States Air Force Academy. Webb has competed in the all-around in every meet in 2024 and finished second overall Friday night with a 39.100. Her best score came on the Redhawks final rotation of the evening with a 9.850 on the Bars. She ranked third overall on the rotation. She finished Friday night with a 9.725 on Vault, a 9.750 on Beam, and a 9.775 on the Floor as SEMO placed second with a 194.575. Sunday afternoon, Webb continued her strong performance(s) and did not score below a 9.750 on all four rotation. Her 9.750 came on the Bars where she finished ninth overall. Lydia recorded a 9.800 (10th) on the Vault, a 9.850 on the Beam (5th), and a 9.850 on the Floor (T-7th). She finished with an all-around score of 39.250, good enough for fourth place in the meet with Denver and Iowa State.
Performance of the Week
Kaitlyn Donovan – Illinois State
Donovan came up big for the Redbirds when they needed it the most against the Lions. The senior from South Lyon, Michigan, took first on the floor with a career-high score of 9.925 to help the Redbirds score 39.425 as a team on the event, which tied for the second-highest score in program history. That performance also helped the Redbirds close the deficit to a near tie headed into the final rotation. The score ties her with Jaye Mack for the high score on floor this season for the Redbirds.
Co-Newcomers of the Week
Ally Lau – Illinois State
Lau continued her stellar start to her debut season for the Redbirds in the meet at Lindenwood as well. The freshman from San Diego, California, has competed on beam for ISU in the last five meets and has scored 9.825 in three of those contests. Lau finished in a tie for the event win on beam against Lindenwood, tying her season-high with the 9.825 to find herself atop the event standings first place with teammates Angelica Labat and Leah Davis. The win was the first of Lau’s young career at Illinois State.
Reese Baechle – Lindenwood
Baechle, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, helped the Lions defeat MIC opponent Illinois State last weekend by a final score of 196.075-195.250. The St. Charles, Mo. native competed in two events for the Lions. On Sunday, Baechle tied her personal best at Lindenwood with a score of 9.825 on vault where she tied for second and helped the Lions post a 49.150 team score, their second best of the season. She also competed on floor posting a score of 9.800.
Coaches’ Choice Award
Kaitlyn Hoiland – Texas Woman’s
In her first year at TWU, Hoiland has impacted the team with high scores and with incredible leadership. She has competed on vault and bars in every meet for the Pioneers and has scored a 9.750 or higher on both events in every meet. She currently owns career highs on vault and bars from this season of a 9.875, which she hit on Jan. 27 against Lindenwood. Additionally, she holds the teams highest average on both events, at a 9.800.
Gymnast of the Week
Niya Randolph – Southern Utah
Randolph put up significant scores in each of her events during the meet, tying her career-best score in the all-around with a 39.325. Randolph tied her career-best score on the beam with a 9.825. The biggest routine of the meet came in the biggest spot when the T-Birds were trailing with one routine to go. Randolph stepped onto the floor and delivered a show-stopping routine, earning a 9.900 and leading the Flippin’ Birds to victory.
Specialist of the Week
Keanna Abraham – UC Davis
This is Abraham’s third MPSF weekly award so far this season, making it her seventh career award. The third-year specialist had a great performance this past weekend against San Jose contributing to the highest team score so far this season. Her first event of the night, vault, laid a solid foundation for the evening scoring a 9.900 and placing first overall in the event. She continued her momentum from vault into floor and secured another 9.900.
Freshman of the Week
Ayumi Oshiro – UC Davis
Oshiro has now won her second MPSF award of her career as a first year. The native of Belmont competed on two events this past weekend and showed out in both. Oshiro scored above a 9.800 on both and placed in the top 6. On uneven bars she tied her season high score of 9.825. Her score of 9.850 placed her third overall on beam and was her second highest score on the event this season.
Gymnast of the Week
Lauren Macpherson – San José State
Freshman of the Week
Marissa Ashton – Air Force
Vault – Madison Kirsch, San José State
Uneven Bars – Emily Lopez, Boise State; Jada Mazury, San José State
Balance Beam – Lexi Aragon, Utah State
Floor Exercise – Courtney Blackson, Boise State
All-Around Gymnast of the Week
Olivia Keyes – Rhode Island College
Keyes was first overall in the all-around (38.300), second on beam (9.775), tied for second on floor (9.825), eighth on bars (9.300) and 15th on vault (9.400). The Anchorwomen finished third with a team score of 188.850. Div. II Southern Connecticut (192.875) and Springfield (188.950) edged RIC at the meet.
Specialist of the Week
Natalie Galioto – Brockport
Natalie Galioto had a big day for the Golden Eagles to help the team claim 1st place at the Empire State Collegiate Championship. Natalie was a key performer for the squad as Brockport won the meet with a season-high score of 193.025. On the vault Natalie scored a season-best 9.600 on the day. She also posted a season-best score on the balance beam with a 9.775. With her routine on the floor she earned a 9.750 to round out her strong performance at Cornell.
Gymnast of the Week
Selena Harris – UCLA
Specialist of the Week
Sarah Clark – Arizona State
Freshman/Newcomer of the Week
Sophia Esposito – Oregon State
Coaches’ Choice
Skylar Killough-Wilhelm – Washington
Gymnast of the Week
Haleigh Bryant – LSU
Bryant, a senior from Cornelius, N.C., recorded an all-around score of 39.750 in the win at No. 19 Georgia. Bryant became the 14th gymnast to secure a gym slam in their collegiate career with her perfect 10 on the balance beam. She now owns 13 perfect scores in her career. Bryant took first place in the all-around, vault (9.95) and beam, earned a share of first place on floor (9.95) and tied for fifth place on bars (9.85).
Specialist of the Week
Jocelyn Moore – Missouri
Moore, a junior from Hillsborough, N.J., collected three podium finishes at No. 5 Kentucky. Moore earned a share of first place on the floor exercise with her score of 9.975. She also garnered a share of third place on vault and on bars with a pair of 9.90s. It marked the first time in Moore’s career that she posted a 9.9 or better in three events.
Freshman of the Week
Anya Pilgrim – Florida
Pilgrim, a freshman from Germantown, Md., posted a collegiate best all-around score of 39.600 to finish second in the event behind teammate Leanne Wong in the win over No. 13 Arkansas. Pilgrim set her collegiate best on the uneven bars with her score of 9.95 to take second place behind Wong’s 10.0. To round out her fourth outing in the all-around this season, she registered a 9.90 on both vault and beam along with a 9.85 on floor.
All-Around
Maddox Lee – Gustavus Adolphus
Lee cemented her name in the Gustavus record books in a dual meet against UW-Oshkosh on Feb. 10. She took home her first career victory in the all-around, besting her previous career high by almost a full point. Her score of 38.000 is the fifth-highest all-around score in program history and only the fourth Golden Gustie to hit the 38.000 mark. To earn her to total, Lee scored a career high on vault with a 9.400, took fifth in uneven bars with a 9.375, won the balance beam with a career high 9.750 and scored a 9.425 on floor. Lee’s 9.750 on the balance beam earn her a tie for the program record. Additionally, her efforts helped set two team event records – on vault with a 47.500 and balance beam with a 48.050. Maddox helped the Golden Gusties shatter their previous school record with a team score of 188.550.
Specialist
Izzy Breitkreutz – Gustavus Adolphus
Breitkreutz took third place in the balance beam in a dual meet against UW-Oshkosh on Feb. 10. Her score of 9.650 set a season high for her by eight tenths and helped the Golden Gusties to surpass the 48.000 mark on balance beam, bettering the previous record by half a point with a 48.050. This was the catalyst for the Golden Gusties to shatter their previous school record with a team score of 188.55.
