Spartan Gymnastics Earns Scholastic All-America Award, Program-Record 17 Winners

2021 GYM WCGA Scholastic All-America Graphic

Spartan Gymnastics Earns Scholastic All-America Award, Program-Record 17 Winners

8/11/2021 11:08:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics

MSU collects program-record mark for second-straight year, lead Big Ten in team list as one of 74 programs in country with better than a 3.0 cumulative team GPA

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State gymnastics collected a program-record 17 individual WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) as announced on Wednesday, August 11.

Isabella Barbacci, Ashley Beatty, Chloe Bellmore, Tristan Brown, Sydney Ewing, Baleigh Garcia, Naomi German, Sydney Hayashi, Ashley Hofelich, Alexandra Hoyer, Jori Jackard, Madison McHale, Lea Mitchell, Alaina Raybon, Nyah Smith, Jenna Wicker and Alyssa Wiedeman were all recognized for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the 2020-21 academic year.

The 17 Spartan Scholastic All-America Award winners is a program-record for the second-straight year as last year's 12 honorees tied the 2008 season for the previous most in program history.

Additionally, Michigan State was recognized with the WCGA Team Academic award, for being one of 74 gymnastics programs in the country with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, as the Spartans logged a 3.7530, ranking No. 20 in the nation and highest among Big Ten Conference teams. Additionally, with 85 percent of student-athletes with a 3.5 or better, MSU was one of 39 programs in the nation with 75 percent or better.

Mitchell was one of WCGA's record number of student-athletes – 223 (15.41%) to record a 4.0 GPA, which is an increase from 14.23 percent in 2020 and 8.91 percent from 2019.

Additionally, Beatty, McHale and Mitchell all become four-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipients, becoming three of just 15 Spartan gymnasts to accomplish that feat in program history.

Barbacci, a freshman with a 3.82 GPA majoring in kinesiology. The first-year Spartan from Downington, Pa., earned her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.

Beatty, a senior from Macomb Township, Mich., had a 3.80 GPA as a physiology major and graduated this past spring. She is now a four-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award winner, as well as also earning Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades this season, becoming a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honoree.

Bellmore had a 3.73 GPA majoring in business. The sophomore from DeWitt, Mich., earned her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.

Brown, also a DeWitt, Michigan native, had a 3.55 GPA as a child development major and will be graduating this fall. Along with becoming a three-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honoree, Brown also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the third time and also Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition.

Ewing, a junior from Frisco, Texas, posted a 3.90 GPA majoring in advertising management. In addition to garnering her third WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Ewing also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight year.

Garcia, a freshman, posted a 3.77 GPA majoring in kinesiology. A first-year Spartan from Boca Raton, Fla., collected her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.

German, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., recorded a 3.82 GPA as a business major. The first-year Spartan also earned the WCGA Scholastic All-America Award for the first time in her career.

Hayashi, a freshman from Westerville, Ohio, is majoring in kinesiology and logged a 3.88 GPA. A first-year Spartan, Hayashi also collected her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.

Hofelich, a junior from Novi, Mich., registered a 3.65 GPA majoring in finance. She collected WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolades for the third-straight season. Hofelich also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten selection, her first Distinguished Scholar honor of her Spartan career, and her second Academic All-Big Ten accolade.

Hoyer, a senior from Grayslake, Ill., graduated in the fall of 2020 with her degree in communications. In addition to earning the WCGA Scholastic All-America Award for the first time in her career, Hoyer also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades for the first time.

Jackard is a native of Haslett, Mich., and had a 3.80 GPA as a psychology major. The sophomore garnered WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the second time in her career, as well as Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the first time.

McHale, a native of Naperville, Ill., recorded a 3.89 GPA as a hospitality business major and will be graduating this fall. Now a four-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipient, McHale also is a four-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Mitchell posted a 4.00 GPA majoring in journalism and graduated last spring. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native also earned WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the fourth-straight season. The senior also collected both Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the third season in a row.

Raybon, a Mount Pleasant, S.C., native, had a 3.51 GPA as a journalism major. In addition to earning her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolade, Raybon is also a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Smith, a freshman from West Bloomfield, Mich., had a 3.22 GPA majoring in human capital and society. Along with earning WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the first time in her career, Smith was also a first-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

Wicker, a junior from Allen, Texas, recorded a 3.72 GPA as a human resource management major. Along with earning the WCGA Scholastic All-America Award for the third time in her career, Wicker collected Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades, her first Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honor and second Academic All-Big Ten award.

Wiedeman is a junior from Springboro, Ohio, and posted a 3.65 GPA majoring in dietetics. In addition to garnered WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the third-consecutive year in a row, Wiedeman also earned her second-straight Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honors.

Michigan State Gymnastics Academics Honors For 2020-21:

WCGA Scholastic All-America
Isabella Barbacci
Ashley Beatty
Chloe Bellmore
Tristan Brown
Sydney Ewing
Baleigh Garcia
Naomi German
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Alexandra Hoyer
Jori Jackard
Madison McHale
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Nyah Smith
Jenna Wicker
Alyssa Wiedeman

Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Ashley Beatty
Chloe Bellmore
Tristan Brown
Gabriella Douglas
Sydney Ewing
Ashley Hofelich
Alexandra Hoyer
Jori Jackard
Madison McHale
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Jenna Wicker
Alyssa Wiedeman

Academic All-Big Ten
Ashley Beatty
Chloe Bellmore
Tristan Brown
Sydney Ewing
Ashley Hofelich
Jori Jackard
Madison McHale
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Nyah Smith
Jenna Wicker
Alyssa Wiedeman
Linda Zivat