University of Minnesota Athletics
Liebler Named Nissen-Emery Award Finalist
3/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Gymnastics
University of Minnesota's Zach Liebler has been named a finalist for the 2017 Nissen-Emery Award, announced today by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). The Nissen-Emery Award is given annually to the nation's outstanding senior gymnast and is the most coveted award in collegiate gymnastics.
"Lieber has innate abilities and extreme knowledge of the sport on so many levels," head coach Mike Burns said. "This has made him one of the best gymnasts I've had the pleasure to work with in my many years as a collegiate coach."
Liebler is a three-time All-American, having earned two honors on floor exercise and one on vault. He is the Minnesota program record holder on floor with a score of 16.150, which is also the third highest score in NCAA history. In addition to his program record, Liebler holds the top four scores in school history. He is one of three captains for the Gophers this season.
Outside of the gym, Liebler is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, 2016 CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete and has held two internships.
"Working with Liebler over the past four years has given me insight into him as a person of extreme integrity and character," Burns said. "He is a thoughtful teammate and an exceptional coach in the gym."
Minnesota has had four individuals named the award winner. National Champion Ellis Mannon was the Gophers' most recent award recipient in 2015.
Voting is by invitation only and extended to coaches, team captains, conference championship judges, and CGA Honorary Lifetime Members.
2017 Nissen-Emery Award Finalists
Timothy Wang, Air Force
Joey Peters, Illinois
Zach Liebler, Minnesota
Jake Martin, Ohio State
Allan Bower, Oklahoma
Colin Von Wicklen, Oklahoma
Akash Modi, Stanford
Neal Courter, William & Mary
Players Mentioned
