LOGAN, Utah – Utah State beam specialist Sofi Sullivan has been named a nominee for the 2023 AAI Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding senior.
 
The AAI Award is widely considered the Heisman Trophy of women's gymnastics. AAI has been awarding this honor for more than 30 years. NCAA head coaches were asked to submit a nomination for the candidate or candidates of their choice. After the initial nominations, the field will be narrowed to the top six student-athletes.
 
Sullivan is one of 39 gymnasts nominated for the AAI Award, including one of just two from the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference, along with BYU's Elease Rollins.
 
The native of Manhattan Beach, California, has competed in four meets this season and is averaging 9.875 on beam. She has garnered a pair of MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week accolades this year, including after tying for first on the event with a season-high 9.925 in a 196.650-195.900 loss to BYU on Jan. 27, at the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
 
Sullivan's 9.925 is tied for ninth all-time in school history. She has 11 career titles, including six on beam, which is tied for 11th all-time in school history on the event.
 
Sullivan was named the MRGC Freshman of the Year and co-Beam Specialist of the Year in 2020, along with earning first-team accolades on the event. She is a seven-time MRGC Beam Specialist of the Week honoree.
 
During her freshman campaign, Sullivan set the school record with a 9.975 on beam at Air Force. She is also tied for the second-best beam score in school history with a pair of 9.950s, accomplished most recently in a home tri meet against No. 25 Southern Utah and Ball State on Feb. 4, 2022.
 
Sullivan, who earned academic all-MRGC accolades in 2022, is tied for second and ranks fourth all-time in school history with single-season beam averages of 9.883 and 9.846 set in 2020 and 2022, respectively. She captured eight titles in 2020, which is tied for the ninth-most in freshman class history.
 
Sullivan and the Aggies (1-7, 1-6 MRGC) are back in action on Friday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., when they take on BYU (2-9, 2-5 MRGC) at the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, Utah.
 
For more information on the Utah State gymnastics program, follow the Aggies on Twitter at @USUGymnastics, on Facebook at UtahStateGymnastics and on Instagram at USUGymnastics.
 
-USU-