Pedrick Earns Another Academic Honor

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan gymnast Denelle Pedrick has been selected to the 2020 Academic All-District 5 At-Large Team, which recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom.

The team is chosen by the membership of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Ninety-five student-athletes representing eight districts in total were honored. Pedrick is now eligible for the Academic All-America team, which will be unveiled in mid-June.

"This is a tremendous honor for Denelle," gymnastics head coach Christine MacDonald said. "We are beyond excited for her and so proud of all of her accomplishments. She is very deserving of such honors, as she not only led the team on the competition floor but in the classroom as well. Her work ethic in and out of the gym is unmatched and she is a shining ambassador for not only our gymnastics program but this University."

Pedrick, an exercise science/kinesiology major who holds a 3.78 grade point average, is one of 12 student-athletes honored on the District 5 squad, which comprises student-athletes who compete for NCAA Division I schools in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. Pedrick is one of two gymnasts and one of four student-athletes from a Mid-American Conference school to earn the all-district designation. She is also the first CMU gymnast to earn the honor since Sarah Dame in 2003.

Honorees selected first team Academic All-District® will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. The women's at-large category encompasses 14 total sports including: beach volleyball, bowling, crew/rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo.

Pedrick, a senior in 2020, departs Central Michigan as one of the program's most decorated and accomplished gymnasts. Following the season, Pedrick was named the Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Year and the Senior Gymnast of the Year in addition to earning a spot on the All-MAC First Team.

Pedrick is the first Chippewa to earn the MAC Gymnast of the Year Award twice and the third to sweep both the Gymnast of the Year and the Senior Gymnast of the Year in the same season. It marks the third-consecutive year that Pedrick has been named All-MAC. She was a first-teamer last season and a second-teamer in 2018.

Pedrick finished the 2020 season ranked 18th nationally and first in the MAC with a 39.355 average score in the all-around. On the season, she posted the highest individual score by a MAC gymnast on the vault, on the balance beam, on the floor exercise, and in the all-around. She finished the year with the league's best average floor score.

She was named the MAC Gymnast of the Week three times during the 2020 season as she posted 19 first-place finishes, 11 seconds and five thirds. She earned the weekly MAC honor nine times in her career.

In 2019, she was the MAC vault and all-around champion and she qualified for the NCAA Regional for the third-consecutive year. She is a two-time NCAA Championships qualifier.

Pedrick is also a three-time Academic All-MAC honoree.

Players Mentioned

Denelle Pedrick

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