April 25, 2017 – Alex McMurtry, a junior gymnast from the University of Florida was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Gymnastics as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 41 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, McMurtry becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2017 Honda Cup which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 26, 2017, in downtown Los Angeles.
McMurtry was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Chayse Capps (Oklahoma), Ashleigh Gnat (LSU) and Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma).
“I feel truly honored to receive this award on behalf of my team and the University of Florida,” said McMurtry. “Thank you to all who helped make this possible with their support – my Gator teammates, coaches and the Florida fans.”
McMurtry was the 2017 NCAA All-Around champion with an NCAA semifinal record all-around total of 39.8125. A junior from Midlothian, Va., she is the 2017 co-champion on uneven bars and was the only gymnast at the 2017 NCAA Championships to earn All-America first-team honors on each of the five events. The SEC Gymnast and Scholar Athlete of the Year, she was just the second gymnast is league history to take both honors in the same season.
Overall, she is a 15-time All-American and led Florida with 24 event wins this season and 48 total wins in her three-year career. She is an NCAA Elite 90 honoree which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships. She owns a 4.0 grade point average in Applied Physiology & Kinesiology- Exercise Physiology.
“So happy for Alex – what an outstanding representative she is for collegiate gymnastics in both the competitive and academic arenas,” stated head coach Jenny Rowland. “This honor celebrates the top collegiate female student-athletes. Thank you to the Honda Award for providing this opportunity to acknowledge these amazing and accomplished young women.”
With McMurtry’s honor, Florida has won five of the last six Honda Sport Awards in gymnastics with Bridget Sloan winning in 2013 and 2016 and Kytra Hunter winning in 2012 and 2015. Three student-athletes from the sport of gymnastics have gone on to win the prestigious Honda Cup, Kim Jacob (2014-University of Alabama), Courtney Kupets (2009-University of Georgia) and Missy Marlowe (1992-University of Utah).
Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year.
The CWSA, in its 41st year, honors the nation’s top NCAA women athletes recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.5 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.