The University of Alabama gymnastics team continues to reap the rewards of an outstanding 2015-16 season, this time earning recognition in the classroom.
The Crimson Tide once again produced the highest team grade-point average among SEC gymnastics teams and was fifth among all NCAA Division I gymnastics programs, the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches announced this week.
Alabama was also the only team to advance to April’s NCAA Super Six team final in Fort Worth, Texas, and also rank among the top 40 academically after posting a 3.64 team grade-point average on the way to its 23rd top-three national finish. It marks the 11th year in a row UA gymnasts have posted a team GPA of 3.4 or better.
“To have a school-record number of Scholastic All-Americans and to be the only team in the top 40 by team GPA to also earn a spot in the Super Six is something we are so very proud of,” UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. “It just goes to show once again that at the University of Alabama, you can truly have it all.”
The Crimson Tide tied its school record, originally set in 2011, with 14 gymnasts earning Scholastic All-America honors this year. To be a Scholastic All-American, a gymnast must have a 3.5 or better GPA either for the previous academic year, or for their career. A total of 37 Tide gymnasts have earned 64 Scholastic All-America honors over the last four years.
Among UA’s 2016 honorees, four – Abby Armbrecht, Amanda Huang, Lauren Beers and Mackenzie Brannan - carry a career GPA of 4.0.
All-Americans Beers, Brannan, Keely McNeer, Aja Sims and Kiana Winston all earned the honor in 2016. It was Beers’ fourth honor, the third for McNeer and Sims and the second for Brannan and Winston.
Mary Lillian Sanders earned the honor for the third time while Mackenzie Valentin, Nickie Guerrero and Jennie Loeb all earned their second at Alabama. Amanda Jetter, Armbrecht, Jenna Bresette, Huang and Ariana Guerra all earned the accolade for the first time.
Beers also won the NCAA Elite 90 Award, given annually to the student-athlete at each of the NCAA’s national championships with the highest GPA, for the third time in a row. In the seven-year history of the award, Alabama gymnastics is the only program in any sport to win all seven honors.
