Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas is the 2023 Honda Sports Award recipient

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – It’s a perfect conclusion to the NCAA all-time 10.0 co-leader’s collegiate career.

Trinity Thomas earns her second consecutive Honda Sports Award in 2023, an honor given annually to the nation’s top collegiate female athlete in her sport. The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) revealed Thomas as the 2023 Honda Award winner today.

Earlier this month, Thomas’ perfect vault in the NCAA Team Final was the 28th of her outstanding Gator career, moving her into a three-way tie for the NCAA Career 10.0 record. The pair who Thomas shares the career 10.0 record – UCLA’s Jamie Dantzscher and Kentucky’s Jenny Hansen – both were Honda Award nominees, with Hansen claiming Honda’s gymnastics honor in her final three seasons (1994, ’95, ’96).

Of the 37 different gymnasts to claim the Honda Award in the honor’s 47-year history<https://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/gymnastics>, Thomas is one of nine to earn multiple recognitions – which now includes three Gators (Kytra Hunter 2012, ’15; Bridget Sloan 2013, ’16). She is the sixth to claim the Honda Award in consecutive seasons and first since Georgia’s Kim Arnold (1997, ’98).

About the Honda Award

The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA<http://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/about> to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. With this honor, Thomas becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup, which will be presented on June 26 in a live nationally televised broadcast on CBS Sports Network at 6 pm PT/9 pm ET from Los Angeles, Calif.

The honor is based on the results of national balloting among all NCAA member schools as part of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program, now in its 47th year. The other finalists were Haleigh Bryant of LSU, Jade Carey of Oregon State and Raena Worley of Kentucky.

A Gator gymnast has claimed the Honda Award seven of the last 12 years. Gator Greats Bridget Sloan (2013, 2016), Kytra Hunter (2012, 2015), Alex McMurtry (2017) and Thomas (2022 & 2023) also received the Honda Award for gymnastics. The first Gator gymnast to receive the honor was Ann Woods in 1982.

Florida’s eight Honda Awards shares the high number of program gymnastics honors with Alabama (8) and Georgia (8).

Thomas’ 2023 Season

In 2023, Thomas led the nation for the third consecutive season for perfect 10.0s – 2021 (4), 2022 (12) and 2023 (8).

Here’s some more highlights from Thomas’ 2023 season:

· Career NCAA 10.0 co-leader. Earned 28th perfect mark in NCAA Championships team final vault competition to help Florida to a runner-up finish

· One of three in nation with five 2023 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-America regular-season honors. First team for all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise; second team vault and balance beam

· All-America first-team honors for vault and uneven bars in NCAA Championships semifinal. Competed only two events due to injury suffered in NCAA Regional second round.

· 2023 Southeastern Conference Gymnast of Year. Joins Alabama’s Andreé Pickens as only three-time recipients in award’s history.

· SEC all-around (39.80), uneven bars and floor exercise (10.0) champion. Part of All-SEC team

· One of two in SEC Championship meet history with two 10.0 in a single meet.

· Nation’s 10.0 leader in each of last three seasons: 2021 (4), 2022 (12), 2023 (8)

· Only gymnast in NCAA history with at least five 10.0s on each apparatus for five career Gym Slams

· College Gym News National Gymnast of the Year – also won first honor in 2021

· WCGA Region V Gymnast of the Year – third such honor (2019, 2020, 2023)

· Second consecutive SEC Gymnast of the Week after posting nation’s third-highest all-around total (39.85), winning uneven bars (9.975) and sharing balance beam (10.0) and floor exercise (9.95) titles at LSU

· SEC Gymnast of the Week after winning all-around (39.825) and balance beam (10.0) versus Missouri. Also shared floor exercise win at 9.975

· Florida’s career all-arounder leader (30), passing Bridget Sloan (27) with win vs Missouri

· Opened 2023 floor performances with nation’s first 10.0 on event versus Auburn. Won every floor completed in 2023 (9).

· SEC Specialist Gymnast of Week 1 & 4. Posted a 10.0 in Jan. 6 (floor) and Jan. 27 (vault) meets

· Beam 10.0 was first in the nation for 2023 – sixth consecutive meet with a 10.0 (dating back to 2022 NCAA Regionals).

· Led Florida in 2023 with 29 event wins (9 floor, 7 bars, vault, 5 all-around & vault, 3 beam). Florida’s career leader with 142 event titles

They Said:

“So honored to receive the Honda Award again this season. It feels incredible to have achieved one of my biggest collegiate goals back-to-back. Attending the College Women Sports Awards event last summer in Los Angeles is certainly one of my favorite collegiate memories. I am looking forward to attending the ceremony to represent myself, my family, and the University of Florida again in 2023” – Florida graduate Trinity Thomas

“Such an outstanding award to close Trinity’s tremendous collegiate career. She truly embraces the Collegiate Women Sports Awards commitment to celebrating athletic and scholastic achievement and contributions to the community. Thank you to the Honda Award for applauding these amazing and accomplished young women.” – Florida Head Coach Jenny Rowland

Gator Honda Sports Award Recipients

Name

Sport

Year

Trinity Thomas

Gymnastics

2023

Trinity Thomas

Gymnastics

2022

Yanis David

Track & Field

2019

Rhamat Alhassan

Volleyball

2018

Belinda Woolcock

Tennis

2017

Alex McMurtry

Gymnastics

2017

Kelly Barnhill

Softball

2017

Bridget Sloan

Gymnastics

2016

Lauren Haeger

Softball

2015

Kytra Hunter

Gymnastics

2015

Bridget Sloan

Gymnastics

2013

Kytra Hunter

Gymnastics

2012

Kelsey Bruder

Softball

2011

Caroline Burckle

Swimming

2008

Danielle Fotopoulos

Soccer

1998

Jill Craybas

Tennis

1996

Nicole Haislett

Swimming

1994

Lisa Raymond

Tennis

1993

Lisa Raymond

Tennis

1992

Shaun Stafford

Tennis

1988

Page Dunlap

Golf

1986

Deb Richard

Golf

1985

Tracy Caulkins

Swimming

1984^

Tracy Caulkins

Swimming

1983

Tracy Caulkins

Swimming

1982^

Ann Woods

Gymnastics

1982

Renee Laravie

Swimming

1978

^Recipient of Broderick Award (previous name of Collegiate
Woman Athlete of the Year Award

The Honda Award

The Honda Sports Award acknowledges athletic achievement as well as scholastics and community involvement, and is given to female athletes in 12 different NCAA-sanctioned sports throughout the year. Each Honda Sports Award winner is recognized as the top collegiate female athlete in her sport, and the award is considered by many as one of the highest honors a female college athlete can receive in the nation.

In honor of Thomas winning the award, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will donate $5,000 to the women’s athletic program at the University of Florida.

A Gator has been recognized as a Honda Sports winner 27 times across eight different sports. Winners in eight different sports leads all programs in the nation. Gator Great and U.S. Olympic gold medalist swimmer Tracy Caulkins is the only Gator to win the Broderick Cup (renamed Honda Award in 1987), earning the top award in 1982 and 1984. Thomas was among the final three for the 2022 Honda Cup. Gator softball’s Lauren Haeger was also among the final three for the 2015 Honda Cup<http://floridagators.com/news/2015/6/30/30871.aspx>.

Visit The Collegiate Women Sports Awards<http://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/> website for more information.

2022-23 Honda Sports Award Recipients

Each season, The Collegiate Women Sports Awards program recognizes the top collegiate female student-athlete in 12 sports. Below are the recipients named so far this season:

Sport

Name

School

Basketball

Caitlin Clark

Iowa

Cross Country

Katelyn Tuohy

North Carolina State

Field Hockey

Erin Matson

North Carolina