Maggie Nichols of the University of Oklahoma, Lexy Ramler from the University of Minnesota, UCLA’s Kyla Ross and Trinity Thomas of the University of Florida are the four finalists for the Class of 2020 Honda Sport Award for Gymnastics as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) today.

The CWSA has been balancing the recognition of deserving honorees with these unusual times as collegiate athletics have come to a halt. Given the nationwide pandemic, the CWSA will be announcing the final winter honorees and the 2020 Inspiration Award finalists and winner with more information to follow with regards to the 2020 event.

As is our protocol, the gymnastics finalists were selected by a panel of coaches and experts from the Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), however, given the unprecedented cancellation of championships the panel relied mostly on cumulative rankings and scoring. The Honda Sport award winner for Gymnastics will be announced next week after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.

Nichols, a senior from Little Canada, Minn., was the Class of 2019 Honda Award winner for Gymnastics and is a two-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Year. She has earned 17 All-Big 12 honors and is the first gymnast in conference history to earn All-Big 12 honors on all four events and the all-around. An 18-time WCGA All-American, ranked No. 1 in the all-around and on vault to end the season. She is a six-time NCAA Champion and tallied five perfect 10s on the season to bring her career total to 22.

Ramler is the reigning Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and a nine-time WCGA All-American. The junior hailing from St. Michael, Minn., finished the season ranked no. 1 on beam, no. 6 on bars and no. 8 in the all-around. She was the first Gopher to record back-to-back perfect 10s on beam and was the first Gopher to notch a perfect 10 at Maturi Pavilion. She won 15 event titles on the season and set a career-record while tying the program-record with a 9.975 on bars.

Ross, a senior from Aliso Viejo, Calif., is a two-time Honda Sport Award finalist for gymnastics and a two-time Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year. She is a finalist for the AAI award and is a 24-time All-American, the most in UCLA history. She was the first female gymnast ever to win Olympic, World and NCAA championships and is the first UCLA gymnast ever to win NCAA titles on all four individual events in her career. She finished the year ranked No. 1 on uneven bars, No. 2 on balance beam, No. 3 in the all-around and No. 4 on floor.

Thomas is a two-time WCGA Regional Gymnast of the Year and a 10-time WGCA All-American. The sophomore from York, Pa., was the only 2020 gymnast with a 10.0 in three different events and her eight SEC Gymnast of the Week accolades are the most in a single season in the honor's 21-year history. She is the only current member of the U.S. Senior National Team also on a 2020 NCAA roster and led the Gators with 28 event wins in 2020.

Honda Sport Award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations.

The CWSA, celebrating its 44th year, has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for their 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. 

About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility

Honda also is committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, conducting socially responsible business practices and promoting diversity in its workforce. From Honda's involvement in STEM education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to its support of pediatric brain tumor research and volunteer efforts by Honda associates, including environmental clean-up activities, Honda believes in giving back to the communities where its associates live and work. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.