University of Minnesota Athletics
Eight Gymnasts Named Scholastic All-America
8/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Minnesota set a record with eight team members earning NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors in the same season. The previous record was seven honorees in 2006. The Gophers’ team ranking of seventh in the nation is the highest in program history.
“We are just so proud of the commitment that our gymnasts have made to academics and the success they’ve accomplished,” said head coach Meg Stephenson.
All three members of the 2009 freshman class, Lucy Ennis, Briana Jones and Kylie Smith, earned NACGC/W honors, all earning GPAs above 3.8 in their first year on campus.
Sophomores Ana Balboa, Jamie Bullock, and Kendra Elm each earned Scholastic All-America acclaim. All three earned the honor for the first time. Balboa and Elm also earned Academic All-Big Ten awards in 2009.
Seniors Jade Beattie and Angela Walker added their impressive scholastic resumes. Beattie was named a Scholastic All-American for the fourth time, while fifth-year senior Angela Walker earned her fifth Scholastic All-America award. Both Beattie and Walker also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in each year they were eligible. Jade Beattie was named to Minnesota’s Top Five list in both her junior and senior seasons, marking her spot as one of the five upperclass student-athletes with the highest GPAs. Beattie finished the 2008-09 academic year with a perfect 4.0 GPA. After each graduating with bachelor degrees this spring, Beattie and Walker are both continuing their education. Beattie is attending dentistry school at the University of Minnesota, while Walker is in a Ph.D. program in neuroscience at the University of Texas Southwest.
Gymnasts must have earned a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the 2008-09 academic year to be eligible for NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors.
Players Mentioned
