Kyla Ross Selected as Finalist for AAI Award
March 11, 2020 | Gymnastics
UCLA gymnast Kyla Ross has been named one of six finalists for the AAI Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding senior gymnast.
Ross has had a historic career at UCLA, becoming the first female gymnast in NCAA history to win NCAA, World and Olympic Championships after she took home the 2017 NCAA uneven bars and balance beam crowns during her freshman year. She added the vault and floor exercise titles to her resume in 2019, becoming just the second gymnast in NCAA history to win all four individual titles during her career. Ross holds numerous national and school records. She became the first gymnast in NCAA history to record 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. Ross also holds NCAA records for consecutive meets with a perfect 10 (10 in 2019) and career 10s on uneven bars (11 and counting). Her total count of 22 career perfect 10s is six away from the all-time NCAA record.ย
The 2019 NCAA West Region and Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year is the two-time defending Pac-12 all-around champion and has won a total of six Pac-12 individual titles (2019 all-around, uneven bars, floor exercise; 2018 all-around, uneven bars; 2017 balance beam).
This season, Ross is unbeaten in the all-around, winning all eight meets in which she has competed all four events. She currently ranks first in the nation on uneven bars, second on balance beam, third in the all-around, fourth on floor exercise, and 11th on vault. She has scored two perfect 10s on uneven bars and one on vault and leads UCLA with 34 individual titles out of a possible 45. Ross has been named the Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week five times this season and 13 times in her career, and she has also won two Pac-12 Specialist of the Week awards in 2020.
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 other finalists for the award are Kennedi Edney (LSU), Taylor Houchin (Nebraska), Maddie Karr (Denver), Mollie Korth (Kentucky) and Maggie Nichols (Oklahoma).
Ross is also a semifinalist for the 90th annual AAU James E. Sullivan Award presented by Eastbay, which has been awarded annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States, across all sports. Voting for the award is open to the public online (VOTE HERE). The semi-finalist round closes at 11:59pm ET/8:59pm PT on Friday, Mar. 13.
Players Mentioned
