MSU Gymnastics Earns WCGA Scholastic All-America Awards
8/10/2022 12:00:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
Spartans garner team award plus 17 individual honorees, marking third-straight year to set or match program-record.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State gymnastics collected 17 individual WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) as announced on Wednesday, August 10, matching the program-record from last season.
Chloe Bellmore, Sydney Ewing, Baleigh Garcia, Naomi German, Sydney Hayashi, Ashley Hofelich, Lauren Hsu, Jori Jackard, Giana Kalefe, Genna Lebster, Victoria Loomis, Lea Mitchell, Alaina Raybon, Katie Sawyer, Nyah Smith, Gabrielle Stephen and Alyssa Wiedeman were all recognized for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the 2021-22 academic year.
The 2021-22 mark of 17 Spartan Scholastic All-America Award winners matches the program-record set last year with 17. Overall, it is the third-straight year that MSU has set or tied a program record of honorees, after the 2020 mark of 12 matched the previous high in program history, tying the 2008 season for the previous most, before the 2021 season's 17 honorees.
Additionally, Michigan State was recognized with the WCGA Team Academic award, for being one of 76 gymnastics programs in the country with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, as the Spartans logged a 3.5665, ranking No. 45 in the nation, and one of 10 Big Ten Conference teams. Furthermore, MSU was one of the 53 teams with a team GPA of 3.5 or higher, and one of eight B1G teams to do so.
With 85 percent of student-athletes with a 3.5 or better, MSU was ranked No. 12 in the country for highest percentage of team receiving the award, as part of third among Big Ten teams behind Ohio State and Maryland at No.'s 8 and 9, respectively.
Mitchell and Ewing were two of WCGA's record number of student-athletes - 228 (14.53%) student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA. The 17 Spartans was part of a record number of gymnasts – 1,077 (68.84% of all reporting gymnasts) with a 3.5 or better GPA, the most reported since 2008. This is the second year in a row where more than 1,000 Scholastic All-America team members were awarded.
Additionally, Mitchell became MSU's first five-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipient in program history.Â
As a four-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipient, Ewing, Hofelich and Wiedeman are just three of 18 Spartan gymnasts to earn four WCGA Scholastic All-America Awards.
Bellmore had a 3.5 GPA majoring in finance. The junior from DeWitt, Mich., earned her third WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.
Ewing, a senior from Frisco, Texas, posted a 4.0GPA majoring in advertising. In addition to garnering her fourth WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Ewing also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the third-straight year.
Garcia, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., posted a 3.66 GPA majoring in kinesiology. Along with earning her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Garcia garnered Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
German, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., recorded a 3.54 GPA as a marketing major. The second-year Spartan also earned the WCGA Scholastic All-America Award for the second time in her career, along with Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Hayashi, a sophomore from Westerville, Ohio, is majoring in kinesiology and logged a 3.8 GPA. In addition to collecting her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Hayashi also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
Hofelich, a senior from Novi, Mich., registered a 3.79 GPA majoring in finance and collected WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolades for the fourth-straight season. Hofelich also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades, her second Distinguished Scholar honor of her Spartan career, and her third Academic All-Big Ten accolade.
Hsu, an Austin, Texas native, posted a 3.74 GPA in kinesiology as a freshman, in earning her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her Spartan career.
Jackard is a native of Haslett, Mich., and had a 3.93 GPA as a psychology major. The junior garnered WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the third time in her career, as well as Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the second time.Â
Kalefe is a Corona, Calif. native, and posted a 3.67 GPA as an advertising major in her sophomore season to earn her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award. She also earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
Lebster, a freshman from Holland, Mich., logged a 3.83 GPA majoring in engineering to earn her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her MSU career.
Loomis, a junior from Corinth, Texas, registered a 3.87 GPA as a biosystems engineering major, garnering her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award as a Spartan.
Mitchell posted a 4.00 GPA majoring in journalism. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native also earned WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the fifth-straight season. The senior also collected both Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the fourth season in a row. Mitchell was also tabbed to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I At-Large Third Team, after being named to the Academic All-District list. She was also MSU Athletics' NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Raybon, a Mount Pleasant, S.C., native, had a 3.52 GPA as a journalism major. In addition to earning her third WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolade, Raybon is also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient.
Sawyer, a freshman from North Reading, Mass., registered a 3.65 GPA majoring in kinesiology. She also collected her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award as a Spartan.
Smith, a sophomore from West Bloomfield, Mich., logged a 3.5 GPA majoring in human capital and society. Along with earning WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the second time in her career, Smith was also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Stephen, a freshman from Elgin, Ill., tallied a 3.63 GPA as a criminal justice major, garnering the first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her Spartan career.
Wiedeman is a senior from Springboro, Ohio, and posted a 3.8 GPA majoring in dietetics. In addition to garnering WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the fourth-consecutive year, Wiedeman also earned her third-straight Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Michigan State Gymnastics Academics Honors For 2021-22:
WCGA Scholastic All-America
Chloe Bellmore
Sydney Ewing
Baleigh Garcia
Naomi German
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Lauren Hsu
Jori Jackard
Giana Kalefe
Genna Lebster
Victoria Loomis
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Katie Sawyer
Nyah Smith
Gabrielle Stephen
Alyssa Wiedeman
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Sydney Ewing
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Jori Jackard
Tori Loomis
Lea Mitchell
Alyssa Wiedeman
Academic All-Big TenÂ
Sydney Ewing
Baleigh Garcia
Naomi German
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Jori Jackard
Giana Kalefe
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Nyah Smith
Alyssa Wiedeman
Â
Chloe Bellmore, Sydney Ewing, Baleigh Garcia, Naomi German, Sydney Hayashi, Ashley Hofelich, Lauren Hsu, Jori Jackard, Giana Kalefe, Genna Lebster, Victoria Loomis, Lea Mitchell, Alaina Raybon, Katie Sawyer, Nyah Smith, Gabrielle Stephen and Alyssa Wiedeman were all recognized for having a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the 2021-22 academic year.
The 2021-22 mark of 17 Spartan Scholastic All-America Award winners matches the program-record set last year with 17. Overall, it is the third-straight year that MSU has set or tied a program record of honorees, after the 2020 mark of 12 matched the previous high in program history, tying the 2008 season for the previous most, before the 2021 season's 17 honorees.
Additionally, Michigan State was recognized with the WCGA Team Academic award, for being one of 76 gymnastics programs in the country with a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or better, as the Spartans logged a 3.5665, ranking No. 45 in the nation, and one of 10 Big Ten Conference teams. Furthermore, MSU was one of the 53 teams with a team GPA of 3.5 or higher, and one of eight B1G teams to do so.
With 85 percent of student-athletes with a 3.5 or better, MSU was ranked No. 12 in the country for highest percentage of team receiving the award, as part of third among Big Ten teams behind Ohio State and Maryland at No.'s 8 and 9, respectively.
Mitchell and Ewing were two of WCGA's record number of student-athletes - 228 (14.53%) student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA. The 17 Spartans was part of a record number of gymnasts – 1,077 (68.84% of all reporting gymnasts) with a 3.5 or better GPA, the most reported since 2008. This is the second year in a row where more than 1,000 Scholastic All-America team members were awarded.
Additionally, Mitchell became MSU's first five-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipient in program history.Â
As a four-time WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recipient, Ewing, Hofelich and Wiedeman are just three of 18 Spartan gymnasts to earn four WCGA Scholastic All-America Awards.
Bellmore had a 3.5 GPA majoring in finance. The junior from DeWitt, Mich., earned her third WCGA Scholastic All-America Award.
Ewing, a senior from Frisco, Texas, posted a 4.0GPA majoring in advertising. In addition to garnering her fourth WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Ewing also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the third-straight year.
Garcia, a sophomore from Boca Raton, Fla., posted a 3.66 GPA majoring in kinesiology. Along with earning her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Garcia garnered Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
German, a native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., recorded a 3.54 GPA as a marketing major. The second-year Spartan also earned the WCGA Scholastic All-America Award for the second time in her career, along with Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Hayashi, a sophomore from Westerville, Ohio, is majoring in kinesiology and logged a 3.8 GPA. In addition to collecting her second WCGA Scholastic All-America Award, Hayashi also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
Hofelich, a senior from Novi, Mich., registered a 3.79 GPA majoring in finance and collected WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolades for the fourth-straight season. Hofelich also earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades, her second Distinguished Scholar honor of her Spartan career, and her third Academic All-Big Ten accolade.
Hsu, an Austin, Texas native, posted a 3.74 GPA in kinesiology as a freshman, in earning her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her Spartan career.
Jackard is a native of Haslett, Mich., and had a 3.93 GPA as a psychology major. The junior garnered WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the third time in her career, as well as Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the second time.Â
Kalefe is a Corona, Calif. native, and posted a 3.67 GPA as an advertising major in her sophomore season to earn her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award. She also earned Academic All-Big Ten accolades.
Lebster, a freshman from Holland, Mich., logged a 3.83 GPA majoring in engineering to earn her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her MSU career.
Loomis, a junior from Corinth, Texas, registered a 3.87 GPA as a biosystems engineering major, garnering her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award as a Spartan.
Mitchell posted a 4.00 GPA majoring in journalism. The Boynton Beach, Fla., native also earned WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the fifth-straight season. The senior also collected both Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades for the fourth season in a row. Mitchell was also tabbed to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I At-Large Third Team, after being named to the Academic All-District list. She was also MSU Athletics' NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.
Raybon, a Mount Pleasant, S.C., native, had a 3.52 GPA as a journalism major. In addition to earning her third WCGA Scholastic All-America Award accolade, Raybon is also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recipient.
Sawyer, a freshman from North Reading, Mass., registered a 3.65 GPA majoring in kinesiology. She also collected her first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award as a Spartan.
Smith, a sophomore from West Bloomfield, Mich., logged a 3.5 GPA majoring in human capital and society. Along with earning WCGA Scholastic All-America Award recognition for the second time in her career, Smith was also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
Stephen, a freshman from Elgin, Ill., tallied a 3.63 GPA as a criminal justice major, garnering the first WCGA Scholastic All-America Award of her Spartan career.
Wiedeman is a senior from Springboro, Ohio, and posted a 3.8 GPA majoring in dietetics. In addition to garnering WCGA Scholastic All-America Award honors for the fourth-consecutive year, Wiedeman also earned her third-straight Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Michigan State Gymnastics Academics Honors For 2021-22:
WCGA Scholastic All-America
Chloe Bellmore
Sydney Ewing
Baleigh Garcia
Naomi German
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Lauren Hsu
Jori Jackard
Giana Kalefe
Genna Lebster
Victoria Loomis
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Katie Sawyer
Nyah Smith
Gabrielle Stephen
Alyssa Wiedeman
Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
Sydney Ewing
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Jori Jackard
Tori Loomis
Lea Mitchell
Alyssa Wiedeman
Academic All-Big TenÂ
Sydney Ewing
Baleigh Garcia
Naomi German
Sydney Hayashi
Ashley Hofelich
Jori Jackard
Giana Kalefe
Lea Mitchell
Alaina Raybon
Nyah Smith
Alyssa Wiedeman
Â
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