UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women's gymnastics senior Ava Verdeflor has been named a nominee for the AAI Award, presented to the nation's most outstanding senior.
Verdeflor is one of 30 nominees for the award, and one of nine representatives of the Big Ten recognized on the nominee list.
The Allen, Texas, native has excelled in her final season as a Nittany Lion, posting a career high score of 9.900 on bars against Nebraska and 9.875 on beam against Illinois.
She has been a consistent member of the bars lineup all four years at Penn State, posting 17 scores of 9.800 or better, and a member of the beam lineup for three years, earning seven scores of 9.800 or better. She has reached that feat on bars in five of the team's six competitions this season.
In her final home meet at Rec Hall on Sunday, Verdeflor continued her strong senior campaign with a 9.875 on bars and a 9.825 on beam.
Verdeflor is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She was a WCGA Academic All-American in 2019 and 2020.
Penn State, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, is set to compete in the Big Five Meet at the University of Michigan on Saturday Feb. 27 at 2 p.m.