University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Ross Nominated for AAI Award
February 17, 2020 | Gymnastics
UCLA's Kyla Ross is one of 32 nominees for the AAI Award, which is presented to the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country.
Ross has had a historic career at UCLA, setting numerous national records and capturing NCAA titles on every individual event. Last season, she became the first gymnast in NCAA history to earn two Gym Slams in the same season, recording at least two perfect 10s on each event. She totaled 14 perfect 10s in 2019, a new NCAA single-season record, and she scored a perfect 10 in an unprecedented 10 consecutive meets. Ross also holds the NCAA career record for perfect 10s on uneven bars with 11 and counting.
The first female gymnast in history to win NCAA, World and Olympic gold, Ross has totaled four NCAA individual championships and one team championship. As a freshman in 2017, she captured the NCAA beam title and a share of the uneven bars crown. In 2018, she helped lead the Bruins to their seventh team title, and in 2019, she won a share of the vault and floor exercise titles.
This season, Ross is unbeaten in the all-around, winning all six meets she has competed all four events this season. She currently ranks first in the nation on uneven bars, second in the all-around, fourth on balance beam, sixth on floor exercise and eighth on vault. She has scored two perfect 10s on uneven bars and leads UCLA with 25 individual titles out of a possible 32. Ross has been named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week three times this season and 11 times in her career.
The 19-time All-American is a standout off the floor as well, receiving Pac-12 All-Academic honors twice in her career and earning Director's Honor Roll distinction every year while studying Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology.
The field will be narrowed down to six finalists, and the winner will be announced at the NCAA Championship banquet in April. In its history, UCLA has had four winners โ Vanessa Zamarripa in 2013, Jamie Dantzscher in 2004, Mohini Bhardwaj in 2001 and Donna Kemp in 1984.
