After earning several All-American awards, Gophers junior Shane Wiskus was again recognized for this stellar season as the College Gymnastics Association named him the 2020 Most Valuable Player last week. 

“It means a lot, and it feels good to have to represent my season, even if it was cut short. I feel very grateful to walk away with something from this season,” Wiskus said.

Of the 11 nominees, Wiskus was the “most outstanding gymnast of the year, who has provided the greatest value to his team.” This is the first time he has won the award. 

“It feels great, especially since all nominees would have been equally deserving of it as well,” Wiskus said. 

Wiskus earned three different regular season All-Americans for his performance on parallel bars, rings and the all-around. He held the top position in the all-around with a national qualifying average of 83.467 and set multiple career-highs on rings, parallel bars and the all-around.

In his limited appearances as a Gopher this season, Wiskus grabbed three event titles in the all-around. He added seven other event titles and six more podium finishes on the way to his MVP season.

The MVP award wasn’t his only first this season. On his road to being an Olympian, he competed in two international events. The first was the Winter Cup, where he placed second all-around to be able to retain his spot on the U.S. senior national team. That led to his debut in the American Cup.

Wiskus again shined alongside the nation’s top gymnasts. He finished fourth all-around while placing in the top-five in four different events. Though his Olympic hopes are on a pause right now, Wiskus was able to be recognized yet again on an impressive third season.