UCLA's Chae Campbell and Emma Malabuyo were announced as nominees for the 2025 AAI Award, which is presented to the nation's top senior gymnast.
Campbell is an eight-time All-American and eight-time all-conference honoree. As a freshman in 2021, she won the Pac-12 floor exercise title and was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. She has scored three perfect 10s on floor exercise and seven perfect 9.950 scores on vault in her career and holds career-bests of 39.725 in the all-around, 10.0 on floor, 9.950 on vault and uneven bars and 9.925 on balance beam. A model of consistency, Campbell held a streak of 100 consecutive routines without a fall from Jan. 23, 2021 through Jan. 29, 2023 and has hit 193 of 197 career routines. This season, she has posted the highest all-around score in the Big Ten Conference with a 39.625, and she currently ranks No. 18 in the nation and No. 3 in the conference in the all-around. Campbell also ranks in the Top 25 on vault (No. 17) and balance beam (No. 24). A graduate student in UCLA's School of Education, she has excelled in the classroom, earning WCGA Scholastic All-American honors in 2023 and being selected to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll three times. Campbell served as co-chair of UCLA's Black Student-Athlete Alliance in 2022 and 2023 and has been a long-time ambassador for Brown Girls Do Gymnastics.
Malabuyo is a 2024 Olympian, two-time All-American, three-time all-conference performer and three-time Scholastic All-American. She has been a standout since her freshman season, when she became just the fourth UCLA freshman ever to score a perfect 10 on balance beam. Malabuyo spent the 2024 season competing in Olympic qualifying events around the world while still competing for UCLA in NCAA competition. With the Bruins, she earned All-America and all-conference honors on beam, and she earned a spot in the Olympics after finishing third in the all-around at the 2024 Asian Championships, where she also won gold on floor exercise. This year, she has been ranked near the top of the balance beam rankings all season and is currently No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten. She holds season-bests of 9.975 on beam and 9.925 on bars and floor. A communication major, Malabuyo has been an academic standout, earning WCGA Scholastic All-America honors three times and CSC Academic All-District honors twice. She served as a student-athlete representative for UCLA's Pac-12 to Big Ten transition committee and started a program in the Philippines that included instruction in a free coaching clinic for coaches and coaching younger Filipina gymnasts.
Six finalists will be selected among the 59 nominees, with the winner announced in mid-April.
Campbell is an eight-time All-American and eight-time all-conference honoree. As a freshman in 2021, she won the Pac-12 floor exercise title and was named the conference's Freshman of the Year. She has scored three perfect 10s on floor exercise and seven perfect 9.950 scores on vault in her career and holds career-bests of 39.725 in the all-around, 10.0 on floor, 9.950 on vault and uneven bars and 9.925 on balance beam. A model of consistency, Campbell held a streak of 100 consecutive routines without a fall from Jan. 23, 2021 through Jan. 29, 2023 and has hit 193 of 197 career routines. This season, she has posted the highest all-around score in the Big Ten Conference with a 39.625, and she currently ranks No. 18 in the nation and No. 3 in the conference in the all-around. Campbell also ranks in the Top 25 on vault (No. 17) and balance beam (No. 24). A graduate student in UCLA's School of Education, she has excelled in the classroom, earning WCGA Scholastic All-American honors in 2023 and being selected to the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll three times. Campbell served as co-chair of UCLA's Black Student-Athlete Alliance in 2022 and 2023 and has been a long-time ambassador for Brown Girls Do Gymnastics.
Malabuyo is a 2024 Olympian, two-time All-American, three-time all-conference performer and three-time Scholastic All-American. She has been a standout since her freshman season, when she became just the fourth UCLA freshman ever to score a perfect 10 on balance beam. Malabuyo spent the 2024 season competing in Olympic qualifying events around the world while still competing for UCLA in NCAA competition. With the Bruins, she earned All-America and all-conference honors on beam, and she earned a spot in the Olympics after finishing third in the all-around at the 2024 Asian Championships, where she also won gold on floor exercise. This year, she has been ranked near the top of the balance beam rankings all season and is currently No. 6 in the nation and No. 1 in the Big Ten. She holds season-bests of 9.975 on beam and 9.925 on bars and floor. A communication major, Malabuyo has been an academic standout, earning WCGA Scholastic All-America honors three times and CSC Academic All-District honors twice. She served as a student-athlete representative for UCLA's Pac-12 to Big Ten transition committee and started a program in the Philippines that included instruction in a free coaching clinic for coaches and coaching younger Filipina gymnasts.
Six finalists will be selected among the 59 nominees, with the winner announced in mid-April.