George Named AAI Award Finalist
JEFFERSON, IOWA – Cal women's gymnastics senior Kyana George has been named one of six finalists for the prestigious AAI Award, recognizing the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. The award is voted on by NCAA women's gymnastics head coaches and is considered one of the highest honors given in the sport of women's gymnastics.
After the initial nominations, the field was narrowed to the top six student-athletes. George is joined by five additional finalists including Alyssa Baumann (Florida), Anastasia Webb (Oklahoma), Lynnzee Brown (Denver), Nia Dennis (UCLA) and Lexy Ramler (Minnesota).
George is the second Bear to be named as a finalist for the AAI Award, joining Toni-Ann Williams who earned the honors in 2019.
This season, George has recorded 13 9.90+ scores and recorded 13 event wins on her way to helping Cal rise to the highest ranking in program history at fifth in the nation. The senior has 38 career wins, while also recording 25 top-three finishes this year and 91 in her career. George recorded 9.90+ scores on all three events she competed vs. UCLA as Cal recorded the best score in program history at 198.050.
She was named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Week for the fourth time in her career after her performance at Oregon State as she recorded an all-around score of 39.650, tied for the third-best mark in program history. She exhibited consistent excellence as she scored 9.90+ on all four events vs. the Beavers.
She also has at least a 9.875 score on all seven of her floor exercise routines, including two 9.950 marks as she is ranked in the nation's top 20. This past weekend, she set a career high with a 9.975 score on floor, tying for the best-ever mark on that event by a Cal gymnast. George is also ranked 18th with a NQS of 39.450 on the all-around.
In her career, George has also been named a WCGA Regular Season All-American and multi-time first team All-Pac-12 honoree. During the shortened 2020 season, she recorded 10 scores at 9.90 or higher and has seven career scores of 9.925 or higher.
George also is a leader in the athletic community at Cal. She has completed her minor in child early development & learning science and will be graduating this spring with a B.A. in social welfare. She serves as the women's gymnastics team representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). She is also a representative in the newly-formed Racial Justice Council, which is seeking to empower student-athletes and help the Cal Athletics community make choices every single day to be anti-racist. Additionally, she is the team representative for the Cal Sport Marketing Club.
George is also a preeminent leader in both the Bay Area community and in her hometown. She has volunteered with Catholic Charities of the East Bay where she worked with undocumented immigrants to inform them of their rights and help them deal with government agencies. She also socialized and served meals with seniors at the City of Berkeley Senior Center. During her breaks from Cal, she heads home to her hometown of McKinney, Texas to volunteer at Minshew and Vega Elementary schools. While there, she read to children, helped out at their Field Day and inspired the children to prioritize academics and serve as an example of someone from the area who has attended college. She also has served as a student mentor with Special Olympics, mentoring elementary children with social anxiety, autism and other intellectual disabilities.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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