DURHAM, N.H. – The UNH gymnastics team formally put a bow on its 2020 season by announcing its team awards during a Zoom call featuring gymnasts, coaches, staff and family members Sunday, June 28.

The Wildcats earned a share of the inaugural East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) regular-season championship along with North Carolina State, but UNH was prevented from defending its 2019 EAGL Championship when the season was canceled abruptly March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

First-year head coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte named seniors Riley Freehling (Southington, Conn.) and Emma Winer (Georgetown, Mass.) team co-MVPs. Freehling notched All-EAGL First Team honors in all-around (38.800 National Qualifying Score) as the league’s fourth-ranked AA competitor. The co-captain also was tabbed to the All-EAGL Second Team on uneven bars (9.780 NQS) and balance beam (9.795 NQS) in addition to claiming her second straight EAGL All-Scholastic Team berth.

“Riley is someone who has had so much passion for the sport and has literally lived in a gym her entire life,” Bruck Ayotte said. “She has led this team both on and off the floor and helped create a culture that I hope will continue for a long time.”

Winer was named All-EAGL First Team on floor exercise (9.870 NQS, No. 3 in EAGL) and All-EAGL Second Team on vault (9.775 NQS) and beam (9.805 NQS). The native of Georgetown, Mass., recorded six individual event victories and either led or tied for the team-high score on floor nine times in 11 meets, highlighted by a personal-best 9.850 against North Carolina on Feb. 23. Winer recorded EAGL All-Scholastic Team recognition for the third consecutive season.

“Emma was extremely consistent throughout the year and someone we could count on,” Bruck Ayotte said. “She is someone who always has a positive attitude, works hard, leads by example and is such a joy to work with!”

The GATOS Award for commitment to the strength and conditioning program went to Clare Hampford (Trumbull, Conn.). The junior was a stalwart in the bar lineup (PB 9.775) and worked her way into the floor lineup (PB 9.825) for the final three meets of the abbreviated season. Hampford previously garnered the program’s 2018 Most Improved Award.

“Clare truly set the standard this year in the weight room, not only within the team, but across the entire athletic department,” team strength and conditioning coach Rebekkah Bond said. “Every day she came with enthusiasm, energy and acted as a leader. Clare’s dedication and hard work were visible week after week, and she made sure to hold others accountable as well.”

Ally Cucich (Aberdeen, N.J.) received the Most Inspirational Award as the gymnast who contributes both on and off the floor. The honor was presented by first-year assistant coach Amanda Fillard.

“Ally demonstrates a constant determination to succeed, no matter what the obstacle,” Fillard said. “Her energy, positive attitude and fight inside the gym never goes unnoticed. She has been a pleasure to work with, and we have no doubt that she will do amazing things for the Wildcats and her future.”

The Most Improved Award went to Kylie Kratchwell (Sewell, N.J.), a junior who did not see meet competition in either of her first two seasons due to injury. In 2020, Kratchwell joined the bar squad and hit for a personal-best 9.825 in the March 8 season finale against Auburn, Central Michigan and Rutgers at the Whittemore Center.

“After fighting her way back from multiple injuries, Kylie was able to make her way into the bar lineup,” Bruck Ayotte said. “The love and passion she shows for this sport is truly amazing. She is an individual that her teammates can look up to, and I am looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes next year.”

Kylie Gorgenyi (North Reading, Mass.) received the Rookie of the Year Award, which was announced by first-year associate head coach Steve Avgerinos. Gorgenyi registered All-EAGL First Team on vault (9.820 NQS) and bars (9.820 NQS) as the league’s seventh-ranked gymnast in each event. Gorgenyi paced the Wildcats with seven first-place finishes, including four on vault, and through 11 meets was the top scorer on vault nine times and on bars eight times.

“KG was a very hard worker who was also very coachable and carried herself with a great attitude,” Avgerinos said. “It was also a great pleasure to get to know her and her personality and who she is beyond simply being a terrific gymnast.”

The Katie Baldwin Academic Excellence Award was presented to senior Ava Watkins (Cherry Hill, N.J.) as the Wildcat gymnast with the highest grade-point average. Dan Sedory, who has served as the UNH gymnastics team’s athletic trainer since 1988, presented the award.

“Katie Baldwin was passionate about achieving academic and gymnastics excellence, and Ava exhibited the same dual passions her four years at UNH,” Sedory said. “An International Business & Economics Major, with an International Affairs Minor, Ava graduated from UNH with a 3.92 GPA. It was with great pleasure I presented her with this award.”

Watkins, a co-captain, was a four-year member of the EAGL All-Scholastic Team, a two-time inductee into Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete Honor Society) and later this summer will be honored as a WCGA Scholastic All-American for a fourth time.

The banquet included recognition of the members of the 9.5 Club, established by the late Robert Houston, Sr., the Wildcats’ number one fan, to honor each gymnast who scored at least one 9.500 during the season. The 9.5 Club is an acknowledgement of dedication, an appreciation of the physical effort involved and a token of the high degree of proficiency attained.

First-time 9.5 Club members included Gorgenyi, Kratchwell, Robyn Kelley (Wakefield, Mass.) and Alyssa Worthington (West Warwick, R.I.). Second-time honorees were Hannah Baddick (Gettysburg, Pa.), Lexi Calandra (Suffern, N.Y.), Cucich, Hailey Lui (Collegeville, Pa.), and Mariella Miele (Basking Ridge, N.J.). Lauren Diggan (Sinking Spring, Pa.) and Hampford became third-time members, while seniors Freehling, Watkins and Winer were each feted for the fourth time.

Diggan and Hampford will serve as team co-captains for the 2020-21 season.

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