Courtesy SoonerSports.com
NORMAN, Okla. – May 6, 2021 – Oklahoma senior and NCAA vault, floor and all-around champion Anastasia Webb was named the Honda Sport Award Winner for gymnastics, the collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced Thursday.
Webb is just the fourth Sooner athlete to receive the prestigious award, joining former gymnasts Kelly Garrison (1987, 1988), Maggie Nichols (2019) and softball’s Keilani Ricketts (2012, 2013).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2021 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a telecast on CBS Sports Network on June 28th at 9 pm ET.
“I am extremely honored and grateful to have won the Honda Sport Award for gymnastics,” Webb said. “Winning the Honda Award is a dream come true and I cannot thank enough my amazing coaching staff, my teammates, and my family for all the endless support.”
“I am blessed to be part of the best gymnastics program in the country and very thankful for all the opportunities the University of Oklahoma has given me athletically and academically, Webb continued, “I would also like to say congratulations to the other finalists, Luisa Blanco, Lynnzee Brown, and Lexy Ramler on having a fantastic gymnastics season, especially during the year of the pandemic. This year had been like no other and I am truly amazed at every school and every gymnast who fought till the end to compete in the sport they love. Thank you again for honoring me with this prestigious award and allowing me to join other legendary athletes.”
Webb, who was a finalist for the first time in her career, became just the ninth gymnast in NCAA history to earn three national titles in one season. Her three individual crowns ranks third all-time in OU history. The Morton Grove, Ill., native claimed the all-around, vault and floor national championships with one of her best performances of the season.
The 2021 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year, Region 4 Gymnast of the Year and an AAI Finalist, Webb helped lead Oklahoma to an NCAA Runner-Up finish in her senior season. Along the way, she picked up All-America honors and was the only gymnast in the nation to earn first-team accolades on all four events and in the all-around. Webb now has 20 career All-America honors to her name to rank second all-time in OU history.
In 2021, Webb earned four perfect 10s with two on vault and one each on bars and beam. She earned a career high of 39.850 in the all-around as she racked up 33 career event titles. Webb now ranks second all-time in OU history with 67 event wins.
Webb has competed in every single meet of her OU career, picking up nine All-Big 12 team accolades, three individual Big 12 crowns and two major Big 12 awards. The No. 1 ranked gymnast in the nation on vault, Webb also excelled in the classroom as a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection.
Webb was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Alabama’s Luisa Blanco, Denver’s Lynnzee Brown and Minnesota’s Lexy Ramler. Webb is the third gymnast to win the award, joining Maggie Nichols (2019) and Kelly Garrison (1987, 1988). The senior will look to become just the second Sooner to win the Honda Cup as Keilani Ricketts won in 2013.
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs.