Gymnastics | 8/11/2020 11:03:00 AM

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Texas Woman's University gymnastics team finished No. 1 in team grade point average among all women's college gymanstics programs, the Women's Collegiate GymnasticsScho Association announced on Tuesday. 

TWU posted the top team GPA with a 3.8881 and had 15 student-athletes with a GPA of 3.5 or more. The Pioneers finished fourth in team GPA last year and third in 2018. Besides having 93.75% of student-athletes with a 3.5 or better, Head Coach Lisa Bowerman's squad had five members with a 4.0 GPA.

"I am unbelievably proud of this team for accomplishing this huge feat," said Bowerman. "The 2020 team set out at the beginning of the year to finish the year as the number one academic team in the nation, and to see them accomplish it is incredible, yet not surprising with this group. This team was truly something special, and I am thrilled that they will get to celebrate this accomplishment after finishing the competition season so abruptly in March."

15 Pioneers student-athletes - Mackenzie Balderas, Sadie Bish, Domi Bonzagni, Isabel Goyco, Maddie Griffith, Mara Johnson, MacKenzie Kunzman, Beth Lazarus, Bria Northrop, Hope Parkin, Bridgette Peterson, Kyla Podges, Paige Stuyniski, Hunter Vincent, and Daisy Woodring, were also recognized by the WGCA as Scholastic All-America Award Winners by virtue of earning a 3.5 (or higher) grade point average in the 2019-20 academic year. 

Overall, there were 53 teams with a team GPA of 3.5 or more on a 4.0 scale, an increase from 31 teams last year. A record number of student-athletes, 193 (14.23%) recorded a 4.0 GPA, which is an increase from 8.91% from 2019. Eight schools had a team GPA greater than 3.8 and 18 over 3.7.

"The academic success of the women's collegiate gymnastics programs across the country truly exemplifies the commitment to excellence in the classroom," Kerrie Turner, WCGA president and head coach at Bowling Green, said. "Despite the adversity faced during the COVID 19 pandemic, the student-athletes and teams continued to stay focused on the opportunity to learn and grow regardless of the in-person or remote educational environments. The accolades earned are a testament to the dedication, commitment, and incredible work ethic fostered within our member programs."