Gustavus gymnast Amanda Parker was named Outstanding Senior Athlete of the Year by the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) this past weekend in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The award, which is selected by a vote of all coaches in the NCGA, is awarded for outstanding accomplishments in gymnastics, academics, and public service.
In her gymnastics career at Gustavus, Parker has been a national champion in the all-around (2002) and vault (2002) as well as earning All-America honors nine times. She holds virtually every Gustavus individual event record including all-around score (38.05), uneven bars score (9.65), and vault score (9.750). She ranks second in balance beam score (9.675) and third on floor exercise score (9.775). Parker’s all-around score of 38.05, which she recorded at the 2004 national meet, is the third highest score recorded in the 21-year history of the NCGA.
Outside of the gymnastics studio, Parker is an outstanding student and a committed public servant. She maintains a 3.987 grade point average with a major in political science and will attend law school beginning next year. A two-time First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection, Parker is a candidate for a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship which will be announced in mid-April and she is also a member of Gustavus’ Phi Beta Kappa chapter. In the community, the Ames, Iowa native has taught English and math classes to adults in the English as a Second Language program, served as a legal aid providing free legal services to underpriviliged families , and served as a tutor for English students at St. Peter high school.
Parker is the fifth Gustavus gymnast to receive this prestigious honor following Kari Gilliespie (1995), Shannon McGee (1996), Kristen Edmondson (1997), and Ellie Roscher (2002).