GymDawgs Honor 2015-16 Season at Annual Banquet
May 02, 2016 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE – Lots of laughter, a few tears and some great memories were shared Sunday as the UW gymnastics squad wrapped up its successful year with its annual banquet handing out various team awards and recognizing the special accomplishments the GymDawgs had during the 2015-16 season.
Between on and off the mat accolades, there was a lot to celebrate including three special seniors, a program-best nine Pac-12 All-Academic Honors, the first individual NCAA appearance since 2013 and a handful of impressive performances. The energy and excitement was evident.
“This year was extremely special,” said head coach Joanne Bowers. “We accomplished some amazing things and I was so proud of this whole team. The culture and work ethic of you guys was something we as coaches valued every day. Let's make sure we use this momentum and continue to build as we head into this next season.”
The Dawgs nine Pac-12 All-Academic honors featured two second team selections in Kaitlyn Duranczyk and Alexandra Yacalis and seven honorable mentions. Duranczyk racked up the UW academic honors, earning the 101 Club Award and the SAAS Academic Excellence Award while Jessica Nesis had the Fall 2015 High GPA (4.0). Joslyn Goings earned Winter 2016 SAAS Academic Achievement Recognition.
The Huskies had the highest GPA for UW small women's team during the Fall term (3.42) and placed five student-athletes on the UW Dean's List (3.5 GPA or above) in both the Fall and Winter quarters.
For the athletic achievements, the coaching staff handed out 10 awards while also recognizing the national and conference honors earned during the year. Senior Allie Northey, a Second-Team All-Around All-American, also earned First Team All-Pac-12 while Goings was a First Team All-Pac-12 All-Around selection and Duranczyk earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 for the Uneven Bars.
The next three awards fell under the 'Creating Winners' category, created by the coaching staff. Northey earned the 'In Competition' honor which is given to the Most Valuable Player after becoming the first Husky to advance to the NCAA Championships as an individual since 2013. Duranczyk was the 'In the Classroom' honoree due to her outstanding academic accomplishments and Northey also picked up the 'In Life – Coaches Award' for her exceptional career and senior season at UW.
For the special recognition awards, Northey and Duranczyk picked up the Captain's Award while Malory Rose was named the Newcomer of the Year. Duranczyk earned the Event Specialist of the Year, Goings was named the Most Improved and Jessica Nesis was recognized as the team's Most Inspirational. Duranczyk also earned the Top Dawg of the Year while Alex Yacalis was named the Eye of the Tiger.
The event concluded with senior recognition for UW's three special student-athletes in Northey, Faith Morrison and student coach Sheridan Metcalf. Speeches and videos from family and the coaching staff wrapped up a truly exceptional banquet.
The Huskies now enter their offseason, beginning with strength and conditioning as well as voluntary workouts. For updates throughout the summer, follow the GymDawgs on Facebook, as well as Instagram and Twitter at @UWGymnastics.
Creating Winners
…In Competition (MVP): Allison Northey
…In the Classroom (Academic): Kaitlyn Duranczyk
…In Life (Coaches' award): Allison Northey
Special Recognition Awards
Captain's Award: Allison Northey and Kaitlyn Duranczyk
Newcomer of the Year: Malory Rose
Event Specialist: Kaitlyn Duranczyk
Most Improved: Joslyn Goings
Most Inspirational: Jessica Nesis
Top Dawg of the Year: Kaitlyn Duranczyk
Eye of the Tiger: Alex Yacalis
Players Mentioned
