GymDawgs Announced Three Signees
April 14, 2020 | Gymnastics
SEATTLE β The Washington GymDawgs announced the addition of three gymnasts for the 2021 season. Washington welcomes Lauren Thomas, Katie McNamara, and Gabi Wickman to the GymDawg family. All three will be freshmen next season, joining a freshman class that will include Cathy Eksteen, Skylar Kilhough-Wilhelm, and Taylor Russon.
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A four-time Level 10 Regional qualifier, Thomas joins Washington out of Loveland, Colorado. In 2019, Thomas ranked in her region's top ten on all 4 events, and the all-around, including a fourth-place finish on beam. In the last two years, Thomas has six top-five finishes at the Colorado State Championships. She qualified for the 2019 JO National Championships. This year, Thomas finished in the top three in all-around at every meet she competed in.
"The whole team at UW has good vibes," said Thomas. "I'm most excited to build friendships that will last a lifetime and grow as a gymnast and as a student."
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McNamara is a two-time JO Nationals qualifier. A native of Manhattan Beach, California, McNamara earned a 2018 Regional championship on floor as well as a third-place finish on beam. She earned an all-around state championship at the 2019 SoCal Championships. At that meet, McNamara also took third on beam and second on bars. She has earned eight top-ten finishes at the Region 1 Championships in the last two years.
"I chose UW because when I was visiting on campus it felt like home and the team had great energy," said McNamara. "I can't wait to be apart of something bigger than myself and explore this next chapter."
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Wickman comes to Washington from nearby Kirkland. She has earned multiple event titles at Regionals: in 2018, Wickman was the bars and all-around champion for Region 2, while in 2019 she earned championships on beam and floor. In her two most recent trips to JO Nationals, Wickman has finished in the nation's top ten three times, including twice on bars. She was a Washington state championship on bars in 2019, finishing second in the state on beam, floor, and all-around as well.
"I chose Washington because of the outstanding academics, the supportive gymnastics team, and the beautiful campus," said Wickman.
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Make sure to follow the GymDawgs on Twitter with the username @UWGymnastics and on Instagram at uwgymnastics.
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A four-time Level 10 Regional qualifier, Thomas joins Washington out of Loveland, Colorado. In 2019, Thomas ranked in her region's top ten on all 4 events, and the all-around, including a fourth-place finish on beam. In the last two years, Thomas has six top-five finishes at the Colorado State Championships. She qualified for the 2019 JO National Championships. This year, Thomas finished in the top three in all-around at every meet she competed in.
"The whole team at UW has good vibes," said Thomas. "I'm most excited to build friendships that will last a lifetime and grow as a gymnast and as a student."
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McNamara is a two-time JO Nationals qualifier. A native of Manhattan Beach, California, McNamara earned a 2018 Regional championship on floor as well as a third-place finish on beam. She earned an all-around state championship at the 2019 SoCal Championships. At that meet, McNamara also took third on beam and second on bars. She has earned eight top-ten finishes at the Region 1 Championships in the last two years.
"I chose UW because when I was visiting on campus it felt like home and the team had great energy," said McNamara. "I can't wait to be apart of something bigger than myself and explore this next chapter."
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Wickman comes to Washington from nearby Kirkland. She has earned multiple event titles at Regionals: in 2018, Wickman was the bars and all-around champion for Region 2, while in 2019 she earned championships on beam and floor. In her two most recent trips to JO Nationals, Wickman has finished in the nation's top ten three times, including twice on bars. She was a Washington state championship on bars in 2019, finishing second in the state on beam, floor, and all-around as well.
"I chose Washington because of the outstanding academics, the supportive gymnastics team, and the beautiful campus," said Wickman.
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Make sure to follow the GymDawgs on Twitter with the username @UWGymnastics and on Instagram at uwgymnastics.
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