UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Chase Clingman is named a Nissen-Emery Award Finalist on Thursday. Clingman joins seven other collegiate gymnasts to be selected as finalists. The award winner will be announced at the NCAA Championship banquet on April 13.
Clingman is the defending Big Ten Champion and NCAA National Champion on pommel horse. His career high score of 14.425 won him the 2022 Big Ten Championship and advanced him to the NCAA Championship. The senior earned a 13.066 during the prelims of NCAAs to qualify him for the event finals on the second day. Clingman posted a 14.000 on the final day of the NCAA Championship to earn the National Champion title.
This season, Clingman has made two appearances on pommel horse with scores of 14.400 and 13.550. He also had his first collegiate performance on vault with a score of 14.300.
The Nissen-Emery Award is the highest honor in collegiate gymnastics. Awarded in recognition of outstanding athletic achievement, academic excellence and sportsmanship, it is equivalent to college football's Heisman Trophy.
Presented annually to the top collegiate male senior gymnast in the U.S., the award was originally named the Nissen Award after George Nissen, a former NCAA Champion, for his contributions to the sport. In 1997, it was renamed the Nissen-Emery Award in honor of former Penn State gymnast Dr. Robert Emery for his support of the sport. Emery won the award in 1969.
Penn State's seven recipients ranks second for the most in the award's history behind Oklahoma with eight. The first award was presented in 1966. Most recently, Stephen Nedoroscik received this award in 2020. Steve Cohen was the Lion's first winner in 1967, followed by Emery in 1969, Gene Whelan in 1976, Spider Maxwell in 1987, Matt Cohen in 2007 and Casey Sandy in 2009.
