Gymnasts Put Cap on 2016 Season with Banquet
May 24, 2016 | Women's Gymnastics
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State gymnastics team officially closed the book on the 2016 season Saturday evening with its end of season banquet. The occasion allowed the athletes, staff, family and friends to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2016 season and to bid farewell to its four seniors.
Junior Madeline Gardiner was recognized as the Most Valuable Player. Gardiner performed in the all-around in every meet earning Pac-12 All-Conference First Team honors. She added National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Regular Season All-America Second Team honors on the balance beam following the season. In 2016, Gardiner won 14 event titles and 'hit' 51 out of 52 routines and along the way set or tied career-best scores on vault (9.900), bars (9.875), beam (9.950) and in the all-around (39.500). She scored 9.950 to tie for top honors as Pac-12 Co-Champion on the balance beam in March and qualified to NCAA Championships as an individual all-arounder.
Mary Jacobsen was awarded the Newcomer of the Year. Jacobsen, a freshman, tied for second on the team performing 30 routines in 2016 'hitting' 28. She scored a season-best 9.950 on the bars and 9.825 on the vault earning Pac-12 Newcomer of the Week following a win over California in February. Jacobsen added a season-high mark of 9.825 on the floor exercise in another win over Stanford.
Senior Risa Perez received the team's Specialists of the Year award. Perez 'hit' all 27 of her routines in 2016 performing on the beam and floor in all 12 meets. She set a personal best scoring 9.950 on the beam at Pac-12 Championships to tie for the meet's top honors (with Gardiner among others) earning the title of Co-Champion. Early in the season, Perez was forced into the vault lineup at the last moment due to injury where she scored 9.675 in the first competitive vault of her career. She tallied five event titles in 2016 including four on the beam and one on the floor. She completed her career by reaching NCAA Championships as an individual event qualifier on the balance beam.
Megan Jimenez garnered the team's Most Improved Gymnast award for the second straight season. Jimenez, a junior who vault primarily in 2015, began the season in three lineups establishing career-bests on beam (9.825) and floor (9.825). A nagging injury forced her removal from the floor lineup at midseason. However, Jimenez performed on the vault and beam all season providing a steadying presence in the leadoff spot in the beam lineup.
Kaytianna McMillan received the Most Inspirational Award, an honor voted on by the team. McMillan spent the offseason battling throughout rehab after suffering a knee injury at NCAA Regionals in 2015. She began the season competing on just the balance beam, but returned to the uneven bars lineups in time for the second week of the season. At midseason, McMillan added the floor exercise to her repertoire immediately taking on the anchor position. The junior continued her remarkable comeback returning to the vault lineup at the NCAA Athens Regional as the Beavers jockeyed for a spot at the NCAA Championships. McMillan garnered the first All-American award of her career earning first team regular season honors from the NACGC/W.
Junior Taylor Ricci was the recipient of a new award for the Beavers as the Most Dedicated in the Sports Performance Center. Ricci became an integral part of OSU's vault and floor units competing in all 12 meets 'hitting' 24 out of 25 routines. She established career-bests on floor (9.875), vault (9.825 and beam (9.500).
Silvia Colussi-Pelaez was named as the team's Academic MVP. The junior holds the team's highest cumulative grade point average despite studying chemical engineering and has been on the honor roll every term she's attended Oregon State. On the athletic side of things, Colussi-Pelaez competed in all 12 meets hitting 16 out of 18 routines and establishing a new personal mark of 9.900 on the balance beam. Dani Dessaints secured the Outstanding Academic Achievement award after being selected as the Scholar-Athlete of the Month by the office of Academics for Student-Athletes in January. Dessaints opened the season as the team's anchor to the vault and bars lineups before an injury derailed her season.
Leadership recognition was given to Colussi-Pelaez, Ricci, Erika Aufiero & Shireen Khamedoost. Ricci was recently elected as the Pac-12 Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Chairperson Elect, while Colussi-Pelaez acted on the conference's Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT). Aufiero and Khamedoost were both team representatives during the 2015-16 academic year.
OREGON STATE ATHLETICS' EVERYDAY CHAMPIONS CULTURE
Through the power of sport, we help people discover and pursue their passions, talents and purpose in order to live a life of balance and positive contribution
Players Mentioned
