Michigan gymnast Sierra Brooks wins most prestigious individual award
The University of Michigan has seen a dominant stretch from its student-athletes over the past two weeks. As the season wraps up for many winter sports teams, awards have been handed out in the recent days, and the Wolverines are gathering quite the collection.
After Mason Parris won the Hodge Trophy—given to the nation's best wrestler—in late March, and Adam Fantilli won the Hobey Baker Award—given to the best player in college hockey—Sierra Brooks added her name to the list of award winners.
Brooks, a senior on the women's gymnastics team, won the AAI Award on Tuesday night.
The AAI Award, which is the gymnastics version of the Heisman Trophy, is presented to "the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country," per the AAI website.
Brooks helped Michigan to a fantastic 2023 season, highlighted by a defeat of No. 1 Oklahoma at the Crisler Center on March 6. The Wolverines finished the impressive year with a 27-3-1 overall record and a second consecutive Big Ten championship.
Unfortunately for Brooks and the Wolverines, Michigan was upset in the NCAA Regional Final by Denver and LSU. U-M missed out on the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2018 in what was one of the biggest shocks of the women's gymnastics season.
Although the team didn't have the success it's been used to having in recent years, Brooks still had a remarkably great season.
The good news for head coach Bev Plocki and the program is that Brooks has already announced that she will return for her fifth season with the team next season. She will look to defend her AAI Award, and win Michigan its second national championship in her time with the program.
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