Minnesota Announces 2026 Team Awards

MINNEAPOLIS -- The University of Minnesota gymnastics program held its annual end-of-year banquet on Saturday, during which they celebrated the 2026 season and handed out postseason awards.

As a team, Minnesota posted a school record 30 wins (30-13, 7-2 B1G) and finished a program-best fourth place at nationals, making the First Four on the Floor in school history.

The team made the NCAA Regional Finals for the fifth time in the last six seasons (one of just two Big Ten teams to do so) and finished a program-best fourth in the Road to Nationals final rankings.

2026 Season Accomplishments:

Posted a school record 30 wins (30-13, 7-2 B1G) and finished a program-best fourth place at nationals, making the First Four on the Floor in school history.
Finished fourth in the country in the final rankings.
Brooklyn Rowray became the second national champion in program history, winning the 2026 balance beam title.
Program-best six NCAA Championships All-Americans.
Arianna Ostrum named College Gym News Freshman of the Year.
Minnesota coaching staff named WCGA and College Gym News Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Golden Gophers made nationals for the seventh time in program history in 2026, including the third time in the past six seasons. Minnesota and UCLA are the only Big Ten schools to make nationals three times since 2021.
Minnesota placed second in the Big Ten regular season standings and took third at the Big Ten Championships.
For the first time in her career, Hansen's teams have posted 25+ wins in three straight seasons. In her 12 years in charge, the Gophers have earned 20+ wins eight times.
The Gophers made their fifth regional final in the last six seasons, scoring a 196.975 to outlast Iowa and Washington in the regional semis. The 'U' then stunned No. 5 Alabama and No. 12 Utah, clinching the No. 2 spot at nationals out of the Corvallis Regional. Minnesota earned a score of 197.625, their third best score of the season and second-best ever at the regional finals.
Brooklyn Rowray was the Corvallis Regional Beam Champion all by herself on beam with a score of 9.925.
In the regular season, Minnesota finished 13th in the WCGA Road to Nationals rankings with a 196.842 NQS and a 196.848 season average. The 'U's high was 197.825 on March 15, a mark that ranked fourth-best in school history.
Minnesota was picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten preseason poll and started the season ranked 15th. They finished second in the Big Ten and 13th in the WCGA rankings.
Three Gophers were named All-Big Ten this season, including Arianna Ostrum and Jordyn Lyden making the first team. Sarah Moraw earned a Second Team All-Big Ten appearance for the second straight year.
Arianna Ostrum was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, the fourth Gopher in program history to do so. She also tied for the Big Ten vault title with a 9.950 at the Big Ten Championships. She made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and the Big Ten All-Championships Team. Ostrum earned Second Team WCGA All-America honors on both vault and all-around, becoming the third Gopher freshman to earn All-America since Mya Hooten in 2021.
Jordyn Lyden and Emma Slevin tied for the Big Ten Uneven Bars title with a 9.950 score. It was each of their first B1G titles.
Minnesota had a tremendous home season, going 9-1 at Maturi Pavilion. That included wins over No. 5 Michigan, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 11 Michigan State and No. 19 Iowa twice. Since 2018, Minnesota is 54-3 at home with the only losses to UCLA this year and Michigan twice.
It was the team's ninth straight year with 10+ Academic All-Big Ten honorees.
Season-high on vault (49.450) ranked tied for eighth in program history, bars (49.425) tied for 13th in program history, beam (49.525) tied for seventh in program history and floor (49.650) tied for sixth in program history.
The team had 46 event titles, led by Ostrum with 14 and Lyden with 13.
Jenny's coaching staff was named WCGA North Central Region Assistant Coaches of the Year.

Minnesota's banquet was held at Huntington Bank Stadium and multiple awards were passed out as the Gophers celebrated another successful season.

The coaching staff handed out five awards at the banquet:

Most Valuable Performer: Arianna Ostrum

Most Improved: Isabella Nguyen

Freshman of the Year: Arianna Ostrum

Most Valuable Teammate(s): Gianna Gerdes

Mariam Award: Sarah Moraw and Brooklyn Rowray

-This award is named after Mariam Pourshoushtari, a former Gopher gymnast who survived meningitis. Her perseverance is a testament to what it means to dedicate all of your personal resources and willpower to achieve something. This honor is given to the gymnasts who the coaches believe has done everything they can to be their very best.

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Players Mentioned

Gianna Gerdes

Jordyn Lyden

Sarah Moraw

Isabella Nguyen

Arianna Ostrum

Brooklyn Rowray

Emma Slevin