Gymnast of the Week awards are given by conference offices.
Gymnast of the Week
Emily Shepard – NC State
Shepard completed another impressive performance on Sunday at Pitt with an all-around total of 39.500 to claim her fifth all-around crown of the season. The fifth-year senior’s day was highlighted by a 9.950 on bars during NC State’s opening rotation, which marked her seventh-straight routine with a score of 9.9+ or higher. She landed on the podium on three of her four events against the Panthers, with her bars crown met by a tie for second on vault and floor with a 9.850 and 9.875, respectively. The Olathe, Kansas, native tabbed a 9.825, the Wolfpack’s third-highest score on beam, in NC State’s final rotation.
Specialist of the Week
Lauren Rutherford – Clemson
In her return to the Clemson vault lineup, Rutherford tied a career-high with a 9.925 to win the event for the third time this season. She also posted a 9.900 on floor and a 9.825 on bars in the Tigers’ meet against North Carolina.
Newcomer of the Week
Sierra Church – Clemson
Church earned her first career event win as a Tiger after securing a career-high score of 9.925 on beam to help record a 197.350-195.500 victory against the Tar Heels on Friday evening inside Littlejohn Coliseum. The Lincolnton, North Carolina, native earned the first 9.9+ score of her career.
Gymnast of the Week
Sierra Brooks – Michigan
Co-Event Specialists of the Week
Reyna Guggino – Michigan
Nikki Smith – Michigan State
Mya Hooten – Minnesota
Freshman of the Week
Lyden Saltness – Illinois
Gymnast of the Week
Jordan Bowers – Oklahoma
Bowers secured her third nod this season following a career-high all-around performance of 39.800 points against Conference opponent West Virginia. During the meet, the junior recorded a 9.900 or better in all four events to win the all-around title. She became the third OU gymnast to register a 39.800 or better after four events, following OU greats Maggie Nichols and Anastasia Webb. She claimed event titles in bars and floor after scoring a 9.975 in both events while scoring a 9.9 on vault and a 9.950 on the balance beam.
Specialist of the Week
Bell Johnson – Oklahoma
Johnson earned her first weekly award this season and the second of her career following a floor performance that tallied a 9.925 for the advertising senior. The score marked a season-high for the Norman, Oklahoma native and was only 0.025 away from her career best. The OU floor rotation recorded the program’s fourth-highest score in the event with 49.700, totaling five routines with a 9.925 score or better. The Sooners concluded the meet with a win and accumulated a program-best final score of 198.675.
Newcomer of the Week
Noelle Adams – Iowa State
Adams secured three event titles last week as the Cyclones competed in two different meets. Against Boise State, Utah State and Texas Woman’s, the three-time Newcomer of the Week recorded a career-high 9.950 during her floor routine to take the title. The biology major then followed with another title win and a career-high setting routine on beam with a 9.925 against Southern Utah. During the same meet, she also tied for first on vault with a 9.875.
Gymnast of the Week
Syd Morris – LIU
Morris won the all-around at two of the three meets the Sharks competed in during the past week, highlighted by a season high 39.400 at the dual meet with Bowling Green where Morris was the runner-up. At the same meet, Morris posted a career high 9.925 on floor to tie LIU’s program record on the event. On beam the sophomore currently ranks first in EAGL and ninth in the NCAA.
Specialist of the Week
Isabella Minervini – Towson
At Towson’s tri meet with LIU and Temple, Minervini posted her second consecutive 9.975 of the season on bars to place first overall. She received a perfect 10.0 from one judge for the second time in her collegiate career. The sophmore’s performance contributed towards Towson posting a program record 49.450 on the event. On floor, she matched her career high 9.900 to help the team log a program high 49.650. Currently Minervini Ranks seventh in the NCAA on bars and first in EAGL.
Rookie of the Week
Retoshia Halsell – Towson
At Towson’s tri meet Halsell logged her fourth 9.850 of the season on fourth, which matches her collegiate career high to place fourth overall. She followed up by earning a career high 9.975 on floor, which was a .100 increase from her score at the last meet, to tie for first overall. Her score ranks second in Towson program history. Halsell also contributed to the Tigers program high floor score of 49.650.
Gymnast of the Week
Skye Kerico – Penn
Sophomore Skye Kerico had a career-high performance, cementing herself in the Penn record books at the Ivy Classic vs Brown, Cornell, and Yale. She broke the 12-year individual all-around record with an impressive 39.325. Her stellar performance led her to the individual all-around title and the beam team to the 2nd highest score in program history of 49.275. Her overall performance helped pace the Quakers to a season high 195.8 (highest home score in program history) to win the Ivy Classic team title!
Specialist of the Week
Julia Bedell – Brown
Bedell had a stellar week in two separate competitions. She tied her own school floor record (9.950) at the All-American Challenge, and then tied her own mark for the third time with a 9.925 at the Ivy Classic. Bedell won the Ivy Classic floor title for the second straight year, and earned All-Ivy Classic honors on both vault and floor, giving her five total for her career.
Newcomer of the Week
Gigi Mastellone – SCSU
Mastellone had an historic week for Southern Connecticut gymnastics. On Feb. 19 at the All-American Challenge, on the uneven bars, Mastellone recorded the first perfect 10.0 in school history and finished in first place. This perfect score helped the Owls get their second win of the season, against Division I competition. On Feb. 25 against New Hampshire, Fisk and Rhode Island, she recorded a team-best score of 9.850 and came in third place on the uneven bars.
Gymnast of the Week
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Central Michigan
Luciana Alvarado-Reid had a career afternoon on Saturday for Central Michigan when she posted a career-high all-around score of 39.525 at the Chippewas’ home meet against Kent State, the 5th-highest all-around score in CMU history. Alvarado-Reid highlighted the feat with a career-high 9.950 on the uneven bars, a 9.900 on the floor exercise, 9.850 on balance beam and 9.825 on vault to secure the all-around victory. The sophomore is ranked 3rd conference-wide on the uneven bars with a NQS of 9.860 and 40th nationally in the all-around with a NQS of 39.190.
Specialist of the Week
Dawsyn Sallee, Northern Illinois
Dawsyn Sallee helped lead the Huskies to a quad win this past weekend, excelling on vault and floor. Sallee scored a team-high 9.850 to open the meet on vault, good for her third score of 9.850 or better this season in the event. The freshman then tied a season high with a 9.925 on floor to help Huskies close out the quad victory at the Convocation Center in DeKalb.
Gymnast of the Week
Angelica Labat – Illinois State
Labat continues to be as consistent as they come on the mats for the Redbirds. Labat fared well in the all-around competition in both of Illinois State’s meets last weekend, finishing second in a strong field on Friday night with a 39.300, before winning on Sunday with a 39.175. Her win on Sunday was her fifth in six meets in the all-around and her NQS score of 39.230 ranks first in the MIC this season. Her strongest performances of the weekend came on Friday night, when she tied for first on bars and tied for second on floor with a 9.9 to help the Redbirds to a tri-meet victory over Western Michigan and Alaska.
Performance of the Week
Daisy Woodring – Texas Woman’s
At the Utah State Meet on Friday, Feb. 23, Woodring vaulted to a Texas Woman’s record and career high of a 9.950, breaking the former individual vault record of 9.925 last set in 2009 by Brittany Parker.
Newcomer of the Week
Ally Lau – Illinois State
Lau has been a big asset for the Redbirds on beam and helped ISU to a pair of strong finishes over the weekend. In Friday night’s tri-meet win, Lau tied for the event win on beam with a career-high score of 9.850. She then scored a 9.825 on Sunday to place second overall on beam in the quad meet at Northern Illinois. Lau has now scored at least 9.825 in each of the last five meets for the Redbirds and her NQS score of 9.825 ranks first in the MIC this season.
Coaches’ Choice Award
Reagan Hestermann – Illinois State
Hestermann has been plagued with injuries since her freshman year going through surgeries for her hip, along with many other nagging injuries with her shoulders, Achilles and back. She has been very limited on what she could do in workouts but still pushed to be able to at least exhibition floor her senior year in 2024. During many workouts, she was only able to do endurance work but kept pushing to be able to progress towards her goal. On Friday, she was finally able to do an exhibition floor routine scoring a 9.675 and when she finished, the team rushed the floor to congratulate her for efforts.
Gymnast of the Week
Sarah Lutrel – Sacramento State
Sacramento State sophomore Sarah Lutrel (Citrus Heights, CA) totaled a 39.425 all-around which ranks second in school history and is tied for seventh all-time in the MPSF, as the Hornets shattered the school record and posted the No. 2 MPSF record book total of 196.825 against Air Force (Feb. 23). Lutrel’s night was highlighted by a school and MPSF record-tying 9.950 on beam for an outright win in the event. She started the meet with a careerhigh-tying 9.825 on vault which tied for first-place. Lutrel ended her night with a 9.875 on floor and was part of the team’s recordbreaking score (and MPSF all-time top-five) 49.425. This is the sixth career MPSF weekly award for Lutrel.
Specialist of the Week
Kara Houghton – Sacramento State
Sacramento State sophomore Kara Houghton (Parker, CO) set three career-highs and recorded the highest score in school history on any event in the win against Air Force (Feb. 23). Houghton capped a bars rotation with a 9.975 which is the highest in MPSF history and tied for the second-best on any event in the MPSF record book. Her score was the best all-time at Sacramento State regardless of event and earned her the victory. Houghton then scored 9.850 to tie for second on beam and finished the meet with a 9.900 on floor. This is the second career MPSF award for Houghton.
Freshman of the Week
Jullianne Lastra – Sacramento State
Sacramento State freshman Jillianne Lastra (Valley Center, CA) set her career-best with 9.900 on bars against Air Force (Feb. 23). Lastra tied for third in the event and guided the Hornets to a 49.300 bars total, No. 2 in school history and tied for sixth all-time in the MPSF. This is the first career MPSF award for Lastra.
Gymnast and Freshman of the Week
Maggie Slife – Air Force
Vault – Mia Nelson, San Jose State
Uneven Bars – Maggie Slife, Air Force
Balance Beam – Lauren Macpherson, San Jose State
Floor Exercise – Emma Loyim, Boise State; Jada Mazury, San José State; Alivia Ostendorf, Utah State
All-Around Gymnast of the Week
Lienna kay – Brockport
Lienna Kay was named the NCGA East All-Around Gymnast of the Week for the third time this season. Kay had an outstanding showing at the Brockport Tri-Meet this past weekend. She totaled 38.525 to take first in the all-around competition. Her highlight of the day was a 9.900 on the balance beam, breaking her own school record for the event that was previously set at 9.850. Kay added scores of 9.775 on the floor, 9.450 on the vault, and a 9.400 on the bars.
Specialist of the Week
Laken Sooy – Brockport
Laken Sooy has been selected as the NCGA East Event Specialist Gymnast of the Week. In the meet this past weekend Sooy had one of the best days of her career. She was the event winner in the floor exercise, posting a career-best score of 9.900. She also set another career-high with her 9.875 on the balance beam, tying for second in the event.
Gymnast of the Week
eMjae Frazier – California
Specialist of the Week
Abby Paulson – Utah
Freshman/Newcomer of the Week
Ella Zirbes – Utah
Coaches’ Choice
Chloe Widner – Stanford
Gymnast of the Week
Leanne Wong – Florida
Wong, a junior from Overland Park, Kan., earned her third consecutive all-around title this season with a nation-high score of 39.875 in the win over No. 2 LSU. Wong became the 15th student-athlete in NCAA history to complete the Gym Slam after scoring a perfect 10.0 on the floor exercise. She shared the event titles on floor and beam (9.975) and finished first in the all-around and bars (9.95). Wong also tied for second place on vault (9.95) en route to claiming her 13th career win in the all-around and her fourth during the 2024 season.
Specialist of the Week
Shania Adams – Alabama
Adams, a senior from Columbus, Ohio, registered back-to-back season-high scores of 9.950 to help her team earn its third-highest team score in program history (198.075) in the win over No. 18 Georgia. Her performance on beam earned Adams a share of first place and helped push the Crimson Tide to a season-high-tying event score of the season at 49.600. She also claimed sole possession of first place on the balance beam to help Alabama record its second-highest rotation score this season at 49.400.
Freshman of the Week
Anya Pilgrim – Florida
Pilgrim, a freshman from Germantown, Md., posted the highest all-around score among the nation’s freshman this season with her 39.650 in the win over No. 2 LSU. Pilgrim set or matched her collegiate best on three events vs. the Tigers. She scored a career-high 9.975 on beam to share the event title with teammate Leanne Wong. Pilgrim was a part of a three-way tie for second place on vault with a collegiate high score of 9.95, and she equaled her high score of floor with a 9.925.
All-Around
Harriet Toth – UW-Eau Claire
Toth rewrote the UW-Eau Claire record book with a historic performance at a quad at Northern Illinois University on Feb. 25. She shattered the school record in the all-around with a 38.525, which blew away the previous record by 1.125. Toth also broke the 20-year-old school record in the floor exercise by scoring a 9.875 and posted the fourth-best score in program history on the vault at 9.625. She helped the Blugolds set a new record for overall team score at 190.550, and powered the team to new event-highs in vault, balance beam and floor exercise.
Specialist
Delaney Cienkus – UW-Oshkosh
Cienkus set the Titans’ floor exercise record with a 9.850 against UW-Whitewater at home on Feb. 23, breaking the previous record of 9.825. She also added a 9.550 on the balance beam to help UW-Oshkosh defeat the Warhawks by a score of 191.225-190.925.
