Two Minnesota gymnasts — Vitali Kan and Justin Karstadt — were announced as finalists for the Nissen Emery Award, which is given out annually to the nation’s top senior gymnast, the team announced Monday. It is considered the highest honor in men’s college gymnastics. 

“The Nissen Emery Award is the ultimate when it comes to excellence in our sport,” head coach Mike Burns said in a statement. “Any year we can get a finalist in the list of top seniors in the nation, it’s a great year, but to get two, honestly, I’m humbled at the fact that the Gophers were able to get two.”

Kan and Karstadt are two of the eight nominees in this year’s field. Minnesota is the only school to have two finalists. Four Minnesota gymnasts have won the award since it was established in 1966, with Ellis Mannon being the most recent in 2015. Minnesota has never had two nominations in program history.

The award considers academics and sportsmanship when giving out the recognition in addition to gymnastics pedigree. 

Kan has earned four event titles this season, with 10 top-3 finishes. Kan is ranked nationally in multiple events including No. 9 in vault, and No.12 on the floor, according to Road to Nationals. Kan is a two-time All-American. He has been named to Academic All-Big Ten twice, and he is currently a co-captain for this year’s team. 

Karstadt has earned three event titles with seven top-3 finishes this season. Karstadt is currently ranked in the top-15 on pommel horse. Karstadt has also been named to Academic All-Big Ten twice. 

The winner of the Nissen Emery award will be announced in the coming weeks, prior to the NCAA Championships.