GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida junior Leanne Wong is among the final four candidates for gymnastics’ Honda Award<https://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/releases/2022-23/DIGymFinals>. The Honda Award goes to the top collegiate female athlete in 12 different sports each season.
2024 Honda Award Nominees (Gymnastics)
Leanne Wong
Florida
Jordan Bowers
Oklahoma
Haleigh Bryant
Louisiana State
Jade Carey
Oregon State
Wong won the NCAA uneven bars title last Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas. She was the only gymnast with three top-2 individual finishes in 2024 NCAA competition, as Wong also took second in the all-around and vault.
Here’s some more highlights from Wong’s 2024 season:
· Only member of 2023 U.S. FIG World Championships gold medal team to compete in 2024 NCAA action
· NCAA uneven bars co-champion (9.9625).
· NCAA all-around (39.70) and vault (9.9375) runner-up. Only gymnast with three top-2 individual finishes in 2024 NCAA competition
· Four All-America honors in NCAA Championships competition – all-around, vault, bars – first team and floor exercise – second team.
· Three 2024 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) regular-season All-America honors. First team for uneven bars; second team for all-around & balance beam
· All-Southeastern Conference for third consecutive year
· Walk-off 10.0 floor exercise secured team win versus LSU and finished ‘Gym Slam’. 15th in NCAA history with Gym Slam and fourth Gator.
· Set nation’s No. 4 all-around high (39.875) vs LSU. Also won uneven bars (9.95) and balance beam (9.975).
· Performance vs LSU earned fourth career SEC Gymnast of Week honor
· Claimed fourth consecutive all-around title and fifth of season at Kentucky (39.775). Also used 9.975 to win bars and beam.
· Fourth collegiate bars 10.0 versus Arkansas. Performance was No. 5 on ESPN Sportscenter’s Top 10<https://x.com/GatorsGym/status/1756698252341019059?s=20> and earned Inside Gymnastics National Gymnast of the Week<https://www.instagram.com/p/C3QKUENAyAe/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==>.
· Led Florida with 24 event wins – 8 bars, 5 all-around, floor, 4 beam, 2 vault. No. 10 for UF all time with 61 event titles.
· 2024 SEC Academic Honor Roll
Did You Know?
Florida leads all programs so far in 2023-24 with three Honda Award nominees. In addition to Leanne Wong, freshman Bella Sims is a candidate for the swimming & diving award<https://floridagators.com/news/2024/4/10/bella-sims-named-a-finalist-for-the-honda-sport-award-for-swimming-and-diving>. Junior Parker Valby became Florida’s first Honda Award recipient for cross country in December.<https://floridagators.com/news/2023/12/8/valby-named-recipient-of-honda-sport-award-for-cross-country.aspx>
A Gator has won the Honda Award in nine different sports in the award’s 48 year history, leading the nation’s programs.
About the Honda Award:
The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup. The nominees were chosen by a group of experts representing the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA).
The CWSA presents the Honda Sports Award annually to top women student-athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Honda Cup award. The Cup is presented on a CBS Sports Network broadcast from New York City on June 24 at 7 p.m. ET.
The Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 48 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.
Five different Gator gymnasts have received the sport’s Honda Award – Ann Woods (1982), Kytra Hunter (2012, 2015), Bridget Sloan (2013, 2016), Alex McMurtry (2017) and Trinity Thomas (2022, 2023).
