Alabama’s Luisa Blanco Named Finalist for Honda Award for Gymnastics
4/22/2021 7:04:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Crimson Tide sophomore in the 2021 NCAA Balance Beam Champion and the NCAA All-Around Runner-up
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama's Luisa Blanco was voted one of four finalists for the Honda Award for Gymnastics, Chris Voelz, the executive director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced Thursday. The other three finalists include Lynnzee Brown (Denver), Lexy Ramler (Minnesota) and Anastasia Webb (Oklahoma).
The Honda Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 45 years 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 2021 Honda Cup which will be presented on June 28th, at 8 p.m. CT.
The finalists were selected by a panel of coaches and experts from the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA). The Honda Award winner for Gymnastics will be announced after voting by administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Each NCAA member institution has a vote.
A sophomore from Dallas, Texas, Blanco is the 2021 NCAA Balance Beam Champion and the NCAA All-Around Runner-Up. The 2021 Southeastern Conference Gymnast of the Year, she led the Crimson Tide to its 10th SEC team title. She won five individual SEC titles in 2021, including the all-around, and owns the second highest all-around average in the nation and the highest in the Southeastern Conference.
More Blanco Highlights
- Led Alabama to a fifth-place NCAA Championships finish
- Nine-time WGCA All-American
- 2021 WGCA Region 1 Gymnast of the Year
- Her winning SEC all-around score is the second highest in championship history
- Owns the third highest all-around total in Alabama history and three of the top-five
- Only gymnast in the nation to have more than one score of 39.800-or-better in the all-around, with two of her three coming in the postseason
- Totaled 18 individual titles in 2021
- Holds the highest balance beam average (9.925) in the conference and third highest in the nation
The CWSA, celebrating its 45th anniversary 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 partnership 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.
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