TEMPE, Ariz. — Gym Devil freshman standout Cairo Leonard-Baker has garnered regular season All-America second team honors in the all-around, as announced by the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches (NACGC), Monday evening.
By virtue of the recognition, the Oakland, Calif., native becomes the first Gym Devil to earn regular season honors since they were instituted in 2013. Leonard-Baker joins 27 other Sun Devil gymnasts in program history who have combined to earn 83 All-America awards. She constitutes the first national honoree since Mary Atkinson (first team; vault) in 2010.
Leonard-Baker played an integral role in Arizona State's sixth-place finish at Pac-12s on Saturday, posting a stellar all-around tally of 39.425. In the effort she led the Gym Devils on bars, floor and vault, recording scores of 9.875, 9.900, 9.900 (career-best), respectively.
The perfect culmination of a stellar campaign, Saturday's post-championship ceremonies saw Leonard-Baker named the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
Through 12 weeks of competition, Leonard-Baker ranks in the Top-30 nationally in three event categories including the all-around (15th, 39.470), bars (20th, 9.905) and floor (26th, 9.905). She also constitutes the top freshman all-arounder in the Pac-12, while sitting in third on a national basis.
In February Leonard-Baker joined prestigious company - Utah's MyKayla Skinner and California's Toni-Ann Williams - as just one of three gymnasts in conference history to garner the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors five or more times. She also became just the second Gym Devil in program history to earn league honors on five separate occasions, joining 2004 national champion and five-time all-american Ashley Kelly in the feat.
The Maroon and Gold phenom currently boasts 12 event titles on the season along with impressive season-best marks of 9.950 (bars), 9.950 (floor), 9.990 (vault) and 9.850 (beam), respectively.
Season Titles: (12) - Bars at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Floor at West Virginia, Jan. 14; All-Around at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Bars vs. California, Jan. 28; All-Around vs. California, Jan. 28; Bars at Oregon State, Feb. 3; Bars vs. Washington, Feb. 17; Floor vs. Washington, Feb. 17; All-Around vs. Washington, Feb. 17; Bars vs. Arizona, Feb. 24; Floor vs. Arizona, Feb. 24; All-Around vs. Arizona, Feb. 24
By virtue of the recognition, the Oakland, Calif., native becomes the first Gym Devil to earn regular season honors since they were instituted in 2013. Leonard-Baker joins 27 other Sun Devil gymnasts in program history who have combined to earn 83 All-America awards. She constitutes the first national honoree since Mary Atkinson (first team; vault) in 2010.
Leonard-Baker played an integral role in Arizona State's sixth-place finish at Pac-12s on Saturday, posting a stellar all-around tally of 39.425. In the effort she led the Gym Devils on bars, floor and vault, recording scores of 9.875, 9.900, 9.900 (career-best), respectively.
The perfect culmination of a stellar campaign, Saturday's post-championship ceremonies saw Leonard-Baker named the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year.
Through 12 weeks of competition, Leonard-Baker ranks in the Top-30 nationally in three event categories including the all-around (15th, 39.470), bars (20th, 9.905) and floor (26th, 9.905). She also constitutes the top freshman all-arounder in the Pac-12, while sitting in third on a national basis.
In February Leonard-Baker joined prestigious company - Utah's MyKayla Skinner and California's Toni-Ann Williams - as just one of three gymnasts in conference history to garner the Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors five or more times. She also became just the second Gym Devil in program history to earn league honors on five separate occasions, joining 2004 national champion and five-time all-american Ashley Kelly in the feat.
The Maroon and Gold phenom currently boasts 12 event titles on the season along with impressive season-best marks of 9.950 (bars), 9.950 (floor), 9.990 (vault) and 9.850 (beam), respectively.
Season Titles: (12) - Bars at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Floor at West Virginia, Jan. 14; All-Around at West Virginia, Jan. 14; Bars vs. California, Jan. 28; All-Around vs. California, Jan. 28; Bars at Oregon State, Feb. 3; Bars vs. Washington, Feb. 17; Floor vs. Washington, Feb. 17; All-Around vs. Washington, Feb. 17; Bars vs. Arizona, Feb. 24; Floor vs. Arizona, Feb. 24; All-Around vs. Arizona, Feb. 24