Four Gymnasts Earn Scholastic All-America Honors

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State gymnastics team and four student-athletes were honored for their achievements in the classroom by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) on Monday. The Cyclones earned the WCGA Scholastic Team Award, while Annie Johnson, Ariana Orrego, Ana Palacios and Meaghan Sievers were honored for their accomplishments in the classroom.

Sievers earned the WCGA award for the third time in her career. Sievers finished her time as a Cyclone as a two-time NCAA Gymnastics Championships qualifier and a three-time Academic All-Big 12 honoree. She scored at least a 39.250 in the all-around six times last season, which saw her pick up 11 apparatus scores of 9.900 or higher in her final season at ISU.

Johnson, who will be a junior in 2020, was honored for the second straight season. She missed most of the 2019 season due to injury, with her one appearance coming in an exhibition routine on the uneven bars against Southern Utah.

Orrego and Palacios were both honored for the first time in their careers. Orrego, a rising junior, competed in 10 meets for Iowa State last season, posting a pair of 9.800s on vault for her best marks of the season. She represented her home country of Peru at the Pan-American games earlier this month, making the event finals on balance beam.

Palacios, a rising sophomore, came back late in the season to contribute to the Iowa State effort in four meets. Her 9.825 on her uneven bars debut at Iowa was the best score by a Cyclone gymnast on her first career bars routine in the last 20 years. The Spaniard went on to get another 9.825 on bars at the NCAA Athens Regional to close out the season.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must maintain a 3.50 GPA or higher during the academic year.

The Iowa State gymnastics season will begin in January 2020.

Players Mentioned

Annie Johnson

Ariana Orrego

Ana Palacios

Meaghan Sievers

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics