Gymnasts Earn Academic Honors

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Five University of Arkansas gymnasts earned selection to the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGC/W) All-Scholar Team, the organization announced this week.

Braie Speed, Mia Bargiacchi, Heather Elswick, Makenzie Anderson and Amanda Wellick all posted grade point averages above a 3.50 to be selected. The selections are the third each for Bargiacchi, Elswick and Wellick. It is the second honor for Speed and the first for Anderson.

“I’m extremely proud of these young ladies,” said head coach Mark Cook. “They work very hard in the gym and in the classroom and it’s great to see that effort rewarded with this honor.”

Rising senior Speed headlines the selections both in and out of the gym. The 4.00 recreation and sport management major was one of two Razorback individuals to advance to the NCAA Championship in 2017. She competed in vault in 13 meets last year including the NCAA Championship and she was a regular on the uneven bars. Speed also competed on the balance beam in her sophomore season.

Bargiacchi, a rising senior on the team, maintains a 3.90 GPA in public health and is a regular on the SEC and University of Arkansas Athletics Department honor rolls.

Elswick, who graduated in May, had a 3.71 GPA in kinesiology while rising junior Makenzie Anderson boasts a 3.68 GPA in kinesiology.

All-American Wellick suffered an injury and missed most of last season. She maintains a 3.52 GPA in business marketing at Arkansas and will return to compete for her fifth season in 2018.