Alabama Gymnastics Celebrates 2020 Season with Year-End Awards
5/11/2020 8:32:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide held its annual year-end awards recognition via video conference Monday night
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The 2020 Alabama gymnastics team celebrated its season Monday night with its annual Medalist Club Awards presentation. In the time of social distancing, the Crimson Tide used a video conference to gather the team, coaches and staff together and virtually hand out its season honors.
"At the end of what became a very different season, we absolutely wanted to celebrate this amazing team that was on the cusp of a truly spectacular championship season," UA head coach Dana Duckworth said. "Team 46 had such dedication, drive and heart and the way they came together as a team and as a family was inspiring."
Tony Giles, the voice of Alabama gymnastics, served as MC for the evening, and started things off by recognizing a slew of season award winners, including freshman Makarri Doggette, who capped a stellar season by becoming the 75th UA gymnast to earn All-American honors, as well as senior Shea Mahoney and junior Alonza Klopfer, who were named the SEC Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete of the Year and to the SEC Community Service Team, respectively.
Duckworth was named the WCGA Region 1 Head Coach of the Year, while Bill Lorenz and Ryan Roberts earned the region's Assistant Coaches of the Year accolades. Robin Kelley was honored as the WCGA Region 1 Administrator of the Year.
The last award of the evening and the highest honor bestowed upon an Alabama gymnast each season, The Lewis Each Courage Award, went to Griffin James. The sophomore had battled her way into the floor exercise lineup in 2020, only to have her season cut short by a midseason knee injury. The Virginia Beach, Va., native kept a positive, team-first spirit throughout and was honored by her teammates with the Each Award.
"I am thrilled that Griffin was honored by her teammates in this way," Duckworth said. "We all witnessed Griffin's transformation from freshman year, through the summer and into the pre- and regular season to become a part of our competitive lineup. She is a team-first person, she is confident and owns her voice and in the wake of her injury she showed all of us the mindset it takes to persevere and continue to be there for her sisters as a team leader."
Other awards included:
- Team Captains:
- Scholastic All-American Wynter Childers
- Scholastic All-American and All-SEC gymnast Shea Mahoney
- Dana Dobransky Commitment to Excellence Award:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach Aja Sims
- David Dutton Memorial Award:
- Assistant Marketing and Promotions Director Meaghan Hall
- David Desantis Community Service Award:
- Scholastic All-American Jensie Givens
- Newcomer of the Year:
- SEC All-Freshman Luisa Blanco
- Fern Hampton Academic Award:
- Three-Year Scholastic All-American and two-year All-SEC gymnast Maddie Desch
- David Patterson Work Ethic Award:
- Scholastic All-American, NCAA Regional and SEC Champion and All-SEC gymnast Lexi Graber
In a season that was cut short one meet prior to the end of the regular season, the Crimson Tide was ranked eighth, marking the 39th season in a row that Alabama has finished among the top-12 teams nationally. The Tide was also one of just six teams in the nation and one of just two in the Southeastern Conference, to post better than a 197.000 season average.
For all of the latest information on Alabama gymnastics, follow @BamaGymnastics on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook and head coach Dana Duckworth on twitter and Instagram at @UACoachDana.
Players Mentioned
