University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Celebrate 2016 Season
5/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota women's gymnastics team hosted the end of the year banquet on Sunday. Senior Lindsay Mable was named the team's MVP and received the Mariam Award, while junior Bailey Abernathy and sophomore Abby DeMuse were named the team's Most Improved gymnasts.
Mable competed in the All-Around in every meet of the season and won 24 event titles and eight All-Around crowns. On Vault, the Aurora, Colo. native earned a "perfect score" of 9.950 vs. Air Force (3/6/16). She had the team's highest average of 9.854 on the event. She set a career high score of 9.925 on Bars and claimed a share of the NCAA Regional Title. She earned First Team All-American status and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships. On Beam, Mable set a new career high with a 9.95 vs. Illinois (2/6/16). This was the second straight year that Mable has earned regular-season First Team All-America honors on the event. On Floor, she tied her career high of 9.975, a school record, at Denver (3/4/16). On the event, the senior earned First Team Regular-Season All-America honors and First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. In the All-Around, Mable won the Big Ten title with a season-high mark of 39.65. At the NCAA Championships (4/15/16), she finished fifth overall and collected First Team All-America honors as well as Regular-Season All-America honors. Mable's All-America honors are the most ever by a Golden Gopher gymnast. This was the third consecutive year she was named the North Central Regional Gymnast of the Year and earned Back-to-Back Honda Sports Award nominations. To cap off an incredible career, Mable was named the winner of the AAI, the Heisman Trophy in gymnastics. She is the first Gopher to earn the prestigious award.
The Mariam Award is given to the person that the coaches believe has done everything they possibly can to be their very best. Mariam Pourshoushtari was a Gopher gymnast that contracted Meningitis. Pourshoushtari survived the struggle and her perseverance became an inspiration to all of us. Her testament to what it means to really dedicate all of your personal resources and will power to achieve.
Abernathy competed on Vault every single meet this year and earned a career high of 9.900 twice at Air Force (3/6/16) and again at the Big Five Qualifier (3/12/16). In addition, the Denver, Colo. native earned her first event title on Vault vs. Illinois (2/6/16) and was the second highest finisher for the team at the NCAA Regional Championships (4/2/16). Her average of 9.789 was the third highest of the Gophers. On Floor, Abernathy earned a career high mark of 9.875 at the Big Five Qualifier (3/12/16) and was the team's highest finisher at the NCAA Regional. Abernathy also was named a NACGC/W Academic All-American and earned a spot on the Academic All-Big Ten for the second straight year.
DeMuse had a breakout season and competed on every single event this year after making a quick recovery from a major shoulder surgery at the end of last May. On Vault, the Savage, Minn. native compete in every meet and recored a career high mark of 9.85 at Ohio State (1/30/16) and Denver (3/4/16). She also competed in every meet on Bars and set a season and career high of 9.875 at the Best of Minnesota meet (2/27/16). On Beam, DeMuse earned a career and season high mark on Beam at Air Force with a 9.825 (3/6/16). At Ohio State, she claimed her first event title of her career on Floor an averaged 9.809 throughout the season, the second highest on the team. In the All-Around, DeMuse competed five times and earned a 39.25 twice both at Nebraska (2/12/16) and Air Force (3/6/16).
YEAR IN REVIEW
This season, the Gophers finished ranked 12th in the nation, the team's highest finish since 2013. The team was undefeated at home and were named the Big Ten Regular-Season Championships with a 9-0 Big Ten finish - a first for the program. The title was the team's third Big Ten Regular-Season Championship in four years.
Eleven Gophers earned Maroon Student Athlete awards with a term GPA of 3.0 or higher and seven Gophers earned Gold Student Athlete awards with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. For Academic All-Big Ten awards, seven student-athletes were named to the All-Big Ten Team with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher in at least their second season.
With qualifying for the NCAA Regional Championships for the 21st straight year, the team earned a seed for the fifth year in a row.
The Gophers recorded a 49.425 on Bars at Air Force (3/6/16), which ranks the second highest in program history. A new program record was set at the Big Five Qualifier on Beam (3/12/16), with the Maroon and Gold earning a 49.675, which is .25 higher than the previously set record (49.500 vs. Arizona State 3/12/04).
Individually, junior Bailie Holst tied the school record with a 9.975 on Bars. Mable tied her school record of 9.975 on Floor and fellow senior Hanna Nordquist broke the school record by scoring a perfect 10.000 on Beam at the Big Five Qualifier.
FOLLOW THE GOPHERS
Are you following the Gophers on the road or from home? Make sure to follow @GopherWGym on Twitter and use the team's hashtag #AlwaysGolden. You can also check for updates on Facebook and Instagram by "liking" Minnesota Women's Gymnastics on Facebook or following the Gophers on Instagram.
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Players Mentioned
