Gophers women’s gymnastics star Lexy Ramler won the AAI Award, the American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) announced Wednesday during the AAI Award Ceremony.
“It is such an honor to be the recipient of the AAI Award and be included in such an incredible group of athletes,” Ramler said in a press release. “There are so many talented individuals in NCAA gymnastics, so to be grouped in this category means so much to me. We have all worked so hard and have had such unique experiences. I am incredibly grateful for this honor.”
The AAI Award, voted on by NCAA women’s gymnastics head coaches, recognizes the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. It’s one of the top accolades given in women’s gymnastics.
Ramler, a native of St. Michael, Minnesota, earned this honor after a magnificent senior season. Most notably, she was the recipient of the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year title for the third consecutive year. She was the Big Ten Champion on the bars, beam and in the all-around.
Throughout the year, Ramler was a source of greatness for the Gophers. She won an astounding 31 individual event titles, was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week six times, scored a perfect 10 on the beam and the vault and set a new Gophers program record in the all-around with a 39.850 along the way.
In the NCAA National Semifinals, Ramler tied for No. 5 on the beam, No. 14 on the vault, No. 17 on the bars, No. 40 on the floor and No. 11 in the all-around.
Ramler finished the 2021 season tied for No. 1 in the nation on the beam (9.975 NQS), No. 3 on the bars (9.963 NQS), tied for No. 5 on the vault (9.950 NQS), tied for No. 28 on the floor (9.925 NQS) and tied for No. 2 in the all-around (39.756 NQS).
Ramler has tallied more than 1,850 career points in her standout University of Minnesota career. She was recently named an All-American on the beam and earned second-team honors for the bars, the vault and the all-around.
The 2020 gymnastics season was cut short due to COVID-19. As a result, the NCAA has allowed all athletes the option to take on an extra year of eligibility. Ramler is currently undecided about her future.
Other finalists for the AAI Award include: Alyssa Baumann (Florida), Anastasia Webb (Oklahoma), Lynnzee Brown (Denver), Nia Dennis (UCLA) and Kyana George (California).
