PHOTO ESSAY: Seniors Close out Careers at NCAA Nationals

April 27, 2019 Emily Howell-Forbes Event Coverage, Featured Carousel, Features, NCAA WAG, Recap

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The Utes co-captain and senior Kari Lee closed her career during team semifinals at the NCAA national championships. In her last routine, Lee posted the team’s second highest score on beam with a 9.800 and a 39.250 all around total. Lee has also been named an All-American three times over the course of her five-year career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Fellow Ute captain MaKenna Merrell-Giles posted score of 9.850-plus on vault, bars and floor in the national semifinals and notched a first team All-America honor on vault, her ninth All-American award of her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Macey Roberts finished out her career for the Utes with hit routines on both vault and floor. Roberts has been a rock for the Utes all season on those events, not missing a single routine in 2019. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Brooke Kelly Missouri — Senior Brooke Kelly made nationals as an individual event specialist on beam for Missouri, earning a score of 9.7625. Kelly is the tenth Tiger to qualify as an individual to the national championships and the first since 2016. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Sienna Crouse wrapped up her career with the Huskers on Friday during the national semifinals. She posted a 39.3875 in the all around and hit all four of her final routines. Crouse has three All-America in her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

LSU senior Lexie Priessman finishes her career as a six-time All-American and competed bars and floor for the Tigers at the NCAA championships. Her scores helping the team on to a second place finish here. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Wrapping up her career with LSU at the NCAA championships, Sarah Finnegan added more accolades to her already impressive resume with the bars national title and AAI Award. Finnegan also finished fourth in the all around. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

After tearing her Achilles last year before the start of the season, senior McKenna Kelley came back strong for LSU this year. She competed on both vault and floor for the Tigers throughout the season, including scoring a perfect 10.0 on floor during senior night at LSU. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Kentucky’s Sidney Dukes competed floor for the Wildcats for the last time at the championships, qualifying as an individual event specialist on the event. Dukes is part of what is considered the best class in Kentucky gymnastics history. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Kentucky senior Alex Hyland has qualified to the NCAA championships every year of her career, three times as an individual and once with her team. She is only the second Kentucky gymnast to do so, the other being Jenny Hansen. She is also a four-time All-American. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Olivia Karas is an 11-time All-American and an AAI award finalist. Karas has also been Big Ten gymnast of the week six times over the course of her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Alabama senior Abby Armbrecht’s 9.9125 on floor earned her All-America honors for the first time in her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

A walk-on for Oregon State, Mary Jacobsen has been instrumental to the team’s success during all four years. She wrapped up her career with the Beavers with three scores of 9.800-plus on vault, bars and floor during the national semifinals. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Oregon State also graduates senior McKenna Singley. Singley competed on vault, beam and floor for the Beavers this year, with her beam and floor scores during the semifinals contributing to the Beavers’ near upset of Denver. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Senior Kaitlyn Schou has hit 100 percent of her routines at Denver, going 158 for 158 and nearly surpassing Mykayla Skinner’s record of 161 hit routines in a row. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Denver senior Claire Kern has competed on both bars and floor all season and was an instrumental part of a record setting season. Kern has competed bars for Denver in every meet of her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Eighteen-time All-American Alicia Boren earned her first national title on floor at the national championships. She also holds the record for number of all around performances as a Gator with 54. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Georgia senior Sydney Snead finished out her career with the Bulldogs with a 9.900 on vault. Snead finished her senior season with an all around score of 39.2875 and did not post any scores on vault lower than a 9.900 all year. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

UCLA senior Macy Toronjo competed floor for the Bruins during their regional competition, scoring a 9.8500. She also competed bars twice over the course of the season, both times posting a 9.800. Toronjo warmed up bars and floor on both days of nationals competition as a back-up routine for the Bruins. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Brielle Nguyen hit 15 of 15 beam routines that she competed. She became a staple in the UCLA lineup last year after transferring from Illinois. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Katelyn Ohashi finished out her final season with the Bruins on Saturday during the NCAA championship finals, posting a 9.950 on floor in the final routine of her career. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Senior Alex Marks competed bars for the Sooners this seasonin nearly every meet despite mid-season surgery. She hit 16 of 16 competition routines and scored 9.900 on four occasions over the season, never scoring below a 9.800. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Nicole Lehrmann competed on vault, bars and beam for Oklahoma at every meet this year. She posted six 9.900-plus scores for the Sooners over the two days competition. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Brenna Dowell closed out her career for the Sooners with a stuck Yurchenko 1.5 to clinch the national title for the team. Her final score on the event was the highest of any performance at the championships with a 9.9875. Dowell was also an AAI Award finalist and won the national title on floor. (Photo/Emily Howell-Forbes, [email protected])

Essay by Emily Howell-Forbes

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