Gymnastics | 4/13/2026 2:16:00 PM
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (April 13, 2026) - The Texas Woman's gymnastics team continues to celebrate its postseason success following an outstanding year of competition.
On Wednesday, the Pioneers earned three Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) Division II Awards, recognizing excellence across collegiate gymnastics.
According to the WCGA, the organization presents annual awards across the six NCAA Division I regions, as well as in Divisions II and III, recognizing excellence throughout collegiate gymnastics.
In Division II, Lisa Bowerman was named Co-Head Coach of the Year, marking the fifth time in her career she has received the honor.
Now in her 15th season, Bowerman led TWU to their 14th Women's Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championship (WCGNIC) title. She also serves as the team's balance beam coach and helped guide junior Sophia Isbell to a career-high 9.9 on Feb. 27 against Florida, Arizona State and Fisk. Isbell earned both WCGNIC and WCGA regular-season All-America honors. Under Bowerman's leadership, the Pioneers collected 16 WCGNIC regular-season All-America honors and five WCGA honors across four events.
"Words to describe Lisa as a leader would be: consistent, influential, trustworthy, adaptable, and authentic," said Assistant Gymnastics Coach Zan Jones. "She is such a one-of-a-kind human in the way in which she requires those around her to perform (in any and everything that they do) at the highest level, while also providing an environment that allows for lessons to be learned and growth to be had. The loyalty that she has to this program is unmatched and the level in which she guides those within the program to continue to raise the standard is something that I appreciate and value. She has taught me to never give power to things that are out of our control but rather to execute the things that we can control at the highest of levels. This is why no matter what obstacles arise throughout the season, TWU Gymnastics will always find a way to win championships and make history! I appreciate all of the sacrifices she's made and the ridiculous amount of hours she's put in to continue to make TWU Gymnastics great."
Jones earned his third WCGA Assistant Coach of the Year honor and was also named WCGNIC Assistant Coach of the Year in March.
In his second season, Jones served as the primary coach for vault and uneven bars. He helped guide Isbell to the 2026 Tempe Regional, where she was one of three Pioneers to compete at Arizona State. On bars, Jones led TWU to a program-record 49.350 at the WCGNIC semifinals on March 27 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. His athletes combined for 10 WCGNIC regular-season All-America honors on vault and bars, along with three WCGA honors.
"I could not be more grateful for Zan and for all he pours into our program." Bowerman said. "THis impact is felt in every area of our culture and our success as a team, and he is extremely deserving of this honor and recognition."
Sophia Isbell, Caroline Bowns, Brooke Ferrari and Kyleigh Ghanbari were among the Pioneers named WCGA All-Americans. Isbell earned first-team honors with a 9.845 National Qualifying Score (NQS) on vault and a 9.820 on balance beam. Bowns posted a 9.840 on bars to earn first-team recognition, while Ferrari recorded a 9.820 for second-team honors. Ghanbari earned second-team honors with a 9.885 NQS.
A full list of WCGA All-America honorees is available here.
-PIONEERS-
