Nichols Named AAI Award Finalist

Nichols' Career Awards and Honors
• 2017, 2019 NCAA Team Champion
• 2019 NCAA All-Around and Vault
• 2019 Honda Sport Award Winner
• 2019 NCAA Inspirtation Award Winner
• 2018 NCAA All-Around, Bars and Floor Champion
• 2018 South Central Region Gymnast of the Year
• 2018 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year
• 2018 Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year
• 2017 NCAA Bars Champion
• 2017 NCAA South Central Region Gymnast of the Year
• 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year
• 13-time All-American
• Has recorded 22 career perfect 10s
• Three-time Big 12 Champion Team Member (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Six-time Big 12 Individual Champion
• Three-time NCAA Regional Champion Team Member (2017, 2018, 2019)
• Three-time NACGC/W Scholastic All-American
• Three-time Academic All-Big 12

NORMAN – Oklahoma's Maggie Nichols has been named one of six finalists for the prestigious AAI Award, recognizing the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the country. The honor is voted on by NCAA women's gymnastics head coaches and sponsored by American Athletic, Inc. (AAI).

The AAI Award is considered one of the highest honors given in the sport of women's gymnastics. Nichols is Oklahoma's ninth consecutive finalist for the award, joining Megan Ferguson (2012), Brie Olson (2013), Taylor Spears (2014), Erica Brewer (2015), Haley Scaman (2016), Chayse Capps (2017) and AJ Jackson (2018) and Brenna Dowell (2019).

Nichols is joined by five additional finalists including Kennedi Edney (LSU), Taylor Houchin (Nebraska), Maddie Karr (Denver), Mollie Korth (Kentucky) and Kyla Ross (UCLA).

"Maggie entered the NCAA after an incredible run toward her Olympic dream," head coach K.J. Kindler said. "Falling short in this quest changed her in so many ways. She has used her opportunity as a collegiate gymnast to bring positive attention to our sport on an international level. She gives her time and energy to reach out to young girls through her unselfish acts of kindness. She is a source of inspiration on social media and in person she is absolutely lovely with her supporters, always taking the time to give back to them. She has battled through injury each year, always persevering. She has learned the importance of team and placing the team before herself. She lifts up her teammates and celebrates their greatness with personal pride in their accomplishments. Most importantly, she does not want this journey to end. Her passion and love for the sport never wavered through all the obstacles she faced. She has, thus far, given all she can to the pursuit of excellence in gymnastics. Next up…whatever she sets her mind to."

A member of OU's 2017 and 2019 National Championship teams, Nichols has been a key component of Oklahoma's dominance the last three seasons. During her illustrious career, the Sooners have secured two national championships, a runner-up finish, three consecutive regional finals and three straight Big 12 Championships.

After winning a gold medal at the 2015 Women's World Championships and competing at the U.S. Olympic Trials, Nichols left the elite world to join the Sooners in 2017 and lead them to their third national title as she became the first gymnast in NCAA history to score a perfect 10 on balance beam in the team finals.

Nichols boasts a hit percentage of 98.9, nailing 180 of her 182 routines performed thus far. As a sophomore and junior, she hit 100 percent of her routines. She boasts the fourth-highest all-around score in NCAA history with a 39.925, set in 2017.

After setting a career-best all-around score of 39.925 in 2017, Nichols has added three other scores of 39.900 in the all-around. She is one of seven gymnasts to reach 39.900 but is the only gymnast in NCAA history with more than one score of 39.900 or better. Nichols holds four of the top 10 spots in the all-time all-around score list. Her 39.925 ranks fourth, while her three marks of 39.900 are tied for fifth.

The list of accolades Nichols has garnered over the last three years is extensive. She is a six-time individual national champion, 13-time NCAA All-American and 12-time WCGA All-American. Nichols joined an exclusive club in 2019 as she became just the sixth gymnast in NCAA history to win back-to-back all-around titles at the NCAA Championship. She has won at least one individual title every year since arriving at OU. Nichols owns two titles on bars, two in the all-around, one on vault and one on floor. She also has a runner-up finish on bars (2019) and beam (2018).

The Little Canada, Minn., native is a six-time Big 12 individual champion and has won an individual title on all four events and the all-around. She was the 2017 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and 2018 Big 12 Gymnast of the Year. She has earned 12 All-Big 12 honors and is a 24-time Big 12 weekly award winner.

Nichols has rewritten the OU record books since she first stepped on campus. After being just the second freshman to ever score a perfect 10 on any event, Nichols went one step further by securing a perfect 10 on every single event to secure a "Gym Slam." Not only that, she was the first athlete in NCAA history to complete not one, but two "Gym Slams" after securing a perfect score on every event as a sophomore. Her 21 perfect scores are an OU program record.

As a freshman, Nichols picked up her first national title on uneven bars, joining an elite squad of OU gymnasts. Her sophomore season, she added three more titles including her first all-around title, a second title on bars and first on floor. As a junior, she set the program record for national titles won with six as she defended her all-around title and earned a national title on vault. Nichols needs just a title on beam to become just the second gymnast to win a national title on every event and the all-around. The senior currently ranks third in NCAA history with her six career national titles.

Nichols is not only an incredible gymnast on the floor but has been an inspiration to the entire gymnastics' community. In 2018, she came forward as "Athlete A" in the USA Gymnastics scandal involving Larry Nassar. Nichols' courage and bravery to release her statement just days before the season was set to start garnered her the 2019 NCAA Inspiration Award. Since coming forward, she has continued to be an inspiration and role model to so many in the gymnastics world and beyond.

Nichols is set to graduate from OU in the fall of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in communications. She is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a three-time WCGA Scholastic All-American.

The No. 1 Sooners will next compete in Nichols' home state as they take on No. 10 Minnesota in Minneapolis. The two teams will face off in a top-10 battle on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.

Players Mentioned

Brenna Dowell

Maggie Nichols

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics