2023 SEC Gymnastics Awards Announced

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 22, 2023) – The Southeastern Conference announced its annual gymnastics awards, voted on by the head coaches from each institution, for the 2023 season.

Trinity Thomas of Florida was selected as the SEC Gymnast of the Year, and Derrian Gobourne of Auburn was named the Event Specialist of the Year. Kayla DiCello of Florida was chosen as the Freshman of the Year, and Tim Garrison of Kentucky was tabbed the SEC Coach of the Year.

Thomas is the second gymnast in conference history to be named SEC Gymnast of the Year three times (Andreé Pickens of Alabama – 2000, 2001 and 2002) after previously securing the honor in 2020 and 2022. She is one of three gymnasts in the nation to earn a maximum of five 2023 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-America honors. Thomas posted the nation’s top all-around total of 39.800 in conference championship competition this season as she defended her all-around title. She is one of two gymnasts in league history who recorded two 10.0s during a single SEC Championships as she defended her floor exercise title with a 10.0 and completed the 2023 Season Slam with a 10.0 on the uneven bars. Thomas has recorded seven 10.0s this season to tie the nation’s high mark and 27 10.0s for her career, one behind the all-time collegiate leaders. A finalist for the AAI Award, she leads Florida with 28 event wins (9 floor, 7 bars, 5 all-around, 4 vault and 3 beam) and owns the program’s career events titles record with 141.

Gobourne is the first gymnast in conference history to be named the Event Specialist of the Year three times since the creation of the award in 2014. This season, she was named the Specialist of the Week twice (February 14 and 28) after helping the Tigers to a pair of conference wins. Gobourne has competed on vault, bars and floor for the Tigers this season, and the squad has counted all 33 of her scores. She has recorded seven scores of 9.9 or better on floor, including a pair of 9.975s. Gobourne has also registered fives scores of 9.9 or better on bars, including a season-best 9.95. She tied her career best on vault with a 9.95 at the start of the season and has totaled nine scores of 9.875 or better in the event. Gobourne has won two floor and two bars titles as well as one vault crown this season.

In her rookie campaign, DiCello earned three 2023 WCGA regular-season All-America Second-Team honors (all-around, uneven bars and balance beam). At the 2023 SEC Championships, she claimed a share of second place on the balance beam and floor exercise with marks of 9.95, and she was the top freshman all-arounder with her score of 39.600, good for sixth place overall. DiCello was the first freshman in the nation this season to record a 10.0, recording the perfect score on the uneven bars on February 10 vs. Missouri. She set the league record for the number (8) and consecutive (6) SEC Freshman of the Week honors. DiCello was also named the SEC Specialist of the Week on January 17. DiCello’s top all-around score of 39.750 is the second best among the nation’s freshmen this season, and she now has seven event wins (bars [3], beam [2], all-around and floor [1]).

In his 12th season as the head coach of the Wildcats, Garrison led his team to the program’s highest team score at the SEC Championships with a 197.675, good for fourth place at the 2023 SEC Championships. Kentucky’s fourth-place finish tied its highest placement at the conference championships, while its No. 3 seed entering into the championships was the highest in program history. The Wildcats previously finished in the fourth slot three times (1996, 2018 and 2021). Kentucky earned the No. 9 seed in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships and are set to compete at the Norman Regional, hosted by the University of Oklahoma, against No. 8 Alabama, Illinois and Iowa in the second round on March 30.

The All-SEC Team is comprised of the student-athletes with the top two scores (including ties) on each event and in the All-Around competition in the first session and second sessions of the SEC Championship. The All-Freshman Team is comprised of the freshmen student-athlete with the top score (including ties) on each event in the first session of the SEC Championship and the freshman student-athlete with the top score (including ties) on each event in the second session of the Championship. The All-Freshman Team also includes the freshmen student-athletes with the top two all-around scores (including ties) in each session of the Championship.

2023 SEC Gymnastics Awards

Gymnast of the Year	Trinity Thomas, Florida
Event Specialist of the Year	Derrian Gobourne, Auburn
Freshman of the Year	Kayla DiCello, Florida
Coach of the Year	Tim Garrison, Kentucky

All-SEC

Luisa Blanco, Alabama
Gabby Gladieux, Alabama
Lilly Hudson, Alabama
Shallon Olsen, Alabama
Norah Flatley, Arkansas
Frankie Price, Arkansas
Cami Weaver, Arkansas
Lauren Williams, Arkansas
Aria Brusch, Auburn
Derrian Gobourne, Auburn
Olivia Hollingsworth, Auburn
Gabby McLaughlin, Auburn
Cassie Stevens, Auburn
Sloane Blakely, Florida
Kayla DiCello, Florida
Victoria Nguyen, Florida
Trinity Thomas, Florida
Leanne Wong, Florida
Haley de Jong, Georgia
Vanessa Deniz, Georgia
Soraya Hawthorne, Georgia
Shealyn Luksik, Kentucky
Isabella Magnelli, Kentucky
Haleigh Bryant, LSU
Aleah Finnegan, LSU
Bryce Wilson, LSU
Amari Celestine, Missouri
Helen Hu, Missouri
Jocelyn Moore, Missouri
Sienna Schreiber, Missouri
Alisa Sheremeta, Missouri