Houghting Named MVP at Team Banquet
May 6, 2007
SEATTLE - Sophomores Ashley Houghting and Kristen Omori, and senior Chelsea Bakken took home top honors Sunday at the 2007 Washington gymnastics year-end awards banquet, held in the Founders' Club at Bank of America Arena.
Houghting, who shared the Pac-10 vault title in April and has already broken UW's career record for vault wins, earned the "Creating Winners in Competition" award, given to the team's most valuable player. In addition to her eight vault wins in 2007 - bringing her UW-record career total to 16 - Houghting also won five times on floor, once on beam and three times in the all-around, and was ranked among the nation's top competitors on both vault and floor.
Omori, meanwhile, was named the recipient of the team's "Creating Winners in the Classroom" award, while Bakken took home "Creating Winners in Life" honors. Omori, an aquatics and fisheries science major, boasts a 3.63 grade-point average and was one of UW's top gymnasts, while Bakken overcame a serious injury in January to become the first Husky since 2004 to qualify individually for the NCAA Gymnastics Championships.
In addition to those awards, and the others listed below, which were handed out Sunday, head coach Joanne Bowers was named co-Pac-10 and NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year, while Houghting earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors.
For more information on Washington gymnastics, visit www.GoHuskies.com.
2007 UW Gymnastics Team Awards
Creating Winners:
...In Competition (Most Valuable Player) - Ashley Houghting
...In the Classroom (Academic Award) - Kristen Omori
...In Life (Coaches Award) - Chelsea Bakken
Special Recognition Awards:
Academic Awards:
Fall Quarter - 3 Student-Athletes
Winter Quarter - 6th Student-Athletes
Fall Quarter - 3.27 (2nd place in athletic department)
Winter Quarter - 3.37 (1st place in athletic department)
2007 Letter Winners
Freshmen: Cassidy Lance, Bonita Lee, Celia Short
Sophomores: Katie Boyko, Emily Epsten, Kelly Gilbert, Ashley Houghting, Kristen Omori
Juniors: Jenni Chang, Natalie Gillan, Raimey Iselin, Nikki Waiss
Seniors: Chelsea Bakken, Tori Quandt, Darcee Schiller
