University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Six Gymnasts Earn Pac-12 All-Academic Honors
March 29, 2018 | Gymnastics
A total of six gymnasts from UCLA's Pac-12 championship squad earned Pac-12 All-Academic honors in 2018. Sophomore Madison Kocian earned second-team honors, while seniors Napualani Hall, Christine Peng-Peng Lee and Sonya Meraz and sophomores Gracie Kramer and Kyla Ross earned honorable mention nods.
Kocian, a sophomore from Dallas, Texas, holds a 3.75 GPA. The 2016 Olympic gold and silver medalist had shoulder surgery in August but came back quickly to compete on balance beam in the last 10 meets and on floor exercise the last five meets. She has season-highs of 9.925 on each event. As a freshman, she competed in the all-around in all but two meets and amassed a total of 16 individual victories, including the NCAA Regional bars and floor titles. Kocian is a four-time All-American and a school record-holder on bars with a 10.0, achieved in 2017.
Hall, a senior from Kansas City, Mo., received her second-straight academic honor. She has had her best season this year, earning second-team All-America honors on vault and scoring career-highs of 9.975 on vault and 9.9 on floor exercise.
Kramer, a sophomore from San Clemente, Calif., is a first-time honoree. She has been a standout on floor exercise, averaging 9.865 and scoring as high as 9.95 this season. She also has a high of 9.85 on vault this year and scored 9.925 on the event a year ago.
Lee, a sixth-year senior from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, receives her fourth career nod. She was also selected the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and is a finalist for the AAI Award. Lee finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation on balance beam and ninth on uneven bars. She has scored a national-best four perfect 10s on balance beam, including one to win the Pac-12 title. Lee earned regular season All-America honors this year on both bars and beam and is now an eight-time All-American.
Meraz, a senior from Santa Monica, Calif., will finish her career as a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree. She was a second-team selection in 2016 and 2017 and earned honorable mention acclaim this season. Meraz, a biochemistry major, has scored career-highs of 9.9 on both bars and floor this season.
Ross, a sophomore from Aliso Viejo, Calif., won a share of the Pac-12 all-around and uneven bars titles last week and ranks No. 1 in the nation on uneven bars. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and 2017 NCAA bars and beam champion has scored five perfect 10s in her career, including one on bars this season, and is a seven-time All-American.
To be eligible for selection to an All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and must have participated in at least fifty percent of competitions this regular season. First-year student-athletes are not eligible for Pac-12 All-Academic Teams.
In keeping with the Pac-12's tradition of academic and athletic excellence, these student-athletes are indicative of Pac-12 athletics departments' commitment to student-athlete success in all areas of their lives. The members of the Pac-12 Gymnastics All-Academic Teams attend some of the most challenging universities in the United States and are majoring in everything from microbiology to kinesiology to economics, all while competing at the highest level of collegiate gymnastics.
