Samantha Shannon

Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography

Photo by: Sydney Kline '26 - @sydney.kline.photography

Position:
All-Around
Height:
5-1
Class:
Junior
Hometown:
Naperville, Ill.
High School:
Neuqua Valley
Club Team:
Phenom Gymnastics
Major:
Pre-Optometry

2025 (as a sophomore):

Competed in all eleven meets, including MAC Championships
Won uneven bars vs. Bowling Green (1/17) with score of 9.800.
Tied career-best score of 9.875 on uneven bars vs. Northern Illinois (3/14) for second place.
Won two balance beam titles in 2025 against Bowling Green (1/17) and UW-Oshkosh and SEMO (2/6), with scores of 9.775 and 9.850.
Academic All-MAC
WCGA Academic All-American

2024 (as a freshman):

Competed in all twelve meets, including MAC Championships
WCGA Scholastic All-American
Recorded career-highs of 9.825 on vault and 9.875 on bars at Bowling Green Tri (2/04), placed first on bars event
Tied career-high vault of 9.825 once more vs. Kent State (2/24)
Scored career-high 9.900 on beam vs. Western Michigan (3/15) for a first-place finish.

High School/Club: Graduated in June 2023 from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill. … competed for Phenom Gymnastics … three-time Level-10 national qualifier … ranked 5^th on beam and 8^th on bars at 2023 National Championships … 2023 Illinois State beam Champion … placed 5^th on vault and 6^th on bars for a 6^th-place All-Around finish … finished 6^th place all-around, 2^nd place on beam, 7^th place vault and bars at the 2023 regionals … took 10^th place on the beam at the Level-10 National Dream Team qualifier in 2022 … earned a 10^th place finish at the national championships in 2021 … placed fourth on the beam in the Level-10 state championships in 2022 … took fifth place on vault, and third place on beam at the Level-10 regional championships in 2023 … two-time award-winner of the Neuqua Honors awards (leadership and equity) in 2021 … earned Star Student award by Neuqua Valley in 2019 … earned Neuqua Business Student of the Year award in 2020 … earned First Place Region 5 Senior F National team award in 2023.

Personal: Born Samantha Rose Shannon … daughter of Daniel and Victoria Shannon … nicknamed “Jersey” … chose Central Michigan because of the atmosphere and the fact that she was welcomed to campus as if she were already a part of the family … the second she stepped foot on campus, she felt like it was home and fell in love with the energy and environment of the gymnastics program.

YEAR-BY-YEAR | TOP SCORES