Trinity Thomas is Finalist for 2023 Honda Award + Photo Gallery
Florida’s Trinity Thomas is College Gym New Gymnast of Year; Finalist for 2023 Honda Award
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – University of Florida Super Senior Trinity Thomas is College Gym News Gymnast of the Year and also among the final four candidates for gymnastics’ Honda Award. The Honda Award goes to the top collegiate female athlete in 12 different sports each season.
2023 Honda Award Nominees (Gymnastics)
Haleigh Bryant Louisiana State
Jade Carey Oregon State
Trinity Thomas Florida
Raena Worley Kentucky
Thomas won the 2022 Honda Award and was among the final three for the Collegiate Women’s Sports Award. This is her second College Gym New Gymnast of the Year honor, receiving the first ever honor in 2021. Thomas’ perfect vault mark in Saturday’s NCAA Team Final was her 28th, moving her into a tie for the nation’s career 10.0 record. She led the nation for the third consecutive season for perfect 10.0s – 2021 (4), 2022 (12) and 2023 (8).
Here’s some more highlights from Thomas’ 2023 season:
· Career NCAA 10.0 co-leader. Earned 28th perfect mark in NCAA Championships team final vault competition to help Florida to a runner-up finish
· One of three in nation with five 2023 Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) All-America regular-season honors. First team for all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise; second team vault and balance beam
· All-America first-team honors for vault and uneven bars in NCAA Championships semifinal. Competed only two events due to injury suffered in NCAA Regional second round.
· 2023 Southeastern Conference Gymnast of Year. Joins Alabama’s Andreé Pickens as only three-time recipients in award’s history.
· SEC all-around (39.80), uneven bars and floor exercise (10.0) champion. Part of All-SEC team
· One of two in SEC Championship meet history with two 10.0 in a single meet.
· Nation’s 10.0 leader in each of last three seasons: 2021 (4), 2022 (12), 2023 (8)
· Only gymnast in NCAA history with at least five 10.0s on each apparatus for five career Gym Slams
· WCGA Region V Gymnast of the Year – third such honor (2019, 2020, 2023)
· Second consecutive SEC Gymnast of the Week after posting nation’s third-highest all-around total (39.85), winning uneven bars (9.975) and sharing balance beam (10.0) and floor exercise (9.95) titles at LSU
· SEC Gymnast of the Week after winning all-around (39.825) and balance beam (10.0) versus Missouri. Also shared floor exercise win at 9.975
· Florida’s career all-arounder leader (30), passing Bridget Sloan (27) with win vs Missouri
· Opened 2023 floor performances with nation’s first 10.0 on event versus Auburn. Won every floor completed in 2023 (9).
· SEC Specialist Gymnast of Week 1 & 4. Posted a 10.0 in Jan. 6 (floor) and Jan. 27 (vault) meets
· Beam 10.0 was first in the nation for 2023 – sixth consecutive meet with a 10.0 (dating back to 2022 NCAA Regionals).
· Led Florida in 2023 with 29 event wins (9 floor, 7 bars, vault, 5 all-around & vault, 3 beam). Florida’s career leader with 142 event titles
About the Honda Award: The Honda Sports Award is presented annually by the CWSA 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 2023 Honda Cup. The nominees were chosen by a group of experts representing the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA).
The CWSA presents the Honda Sports Award annually to top women student-athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports. Honda Sports award winners will be presented with the honor during on-campus presentations throughout the year and all Honda Sports award winners become a finalist for the prestigious 2023 Honda Cup award. The Cup is presented on a CBS Sports Network broadcast from Los Angeles on June 26 at 9 p.m. ET.
The Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 47 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship 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 at the institutions.
Five different Gator gymnasts have received the sport’s Honda Award – Ann Woods (1982), Kytra Hunter (2012, 2015), Bridget Sloan (2013, 2016), Alex McMurtry (2017) and Trinity Thomas (2022).
(Special to 1st & Ten Florida by Florida Athletics)