Clements Named Regular Season All-American
3/29/2018 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. â€" Central Michigan gymnast Katy Clements has been named to the All-America Second Team on balance beam by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches.
The senior from Gainesville, Ga. is the second All-American in program history after Kylie Fagan in 2015, and is the first gymnast in CMU history to win both Mid-American Conference and NCAA regional individual championships, and earn All-American honors.
She won a regional title on beam in 2017, qualifying for the NCAA Championships. She will look to defend that title when she and the Chippewas compete in the NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Saturday, April 7.
"We have had so many great athletes it is tough to say that she is on top of the pedestal, but among the greats she's on the pedestal and that says a lot to hang with some of the great athletes that we had and really to be our second All-American is exceptional," longtime CMU coach Jerry Reighard said.
Clements helped lead the Chippewas to a first-place finish last weekend at the Mid-American Conference Championships when she placed first on beam with a career-best 9.950 score. That ties for the second-highest beam score in program history.
Six times in her career Clements has scored a 9.925 on beam with four of those performances coming this season. In addition, she has recorded nine first-place finishes on beam this season while posting 11 scores of 9.900 or higher. Her regional qualifying score on beam, 9.915, ties her for 14th nationally. She posted a season average of 9.858 on beam.
Clements' development has been nothing short of remarkable â€" and exemplary, Reighard said.
"Her competitiveness is really outstanding," he said. "She has developed that. It took two years for us to instill that in her and for her to buy into that. She's an All-American on balance beam, but her floor exercise is phenomenal and she hadn't started doing that until recently. Her vaulting is really helping us and that is a new event for her.
"So over the four years to see where she has matured mentally too is what made her an All-American."
Players Mentioned
