March 24, 2010

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - University of Illinois senior gymnast Luke Stannard has been named one of eight finalists for the prestigious 2010 Nissen-Emery Award, announced Wednesday by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). The Nissen-Emery Award is presented annually to the nation's top senior male gymnast. Two Illini have won the award since its introduction in 1966, including David Zeddies (1989) and current Illinois associate men's head coach Justin Spring (2006).

"Luke has been an outstanding student-athlete and captain during his time here at Illinois," Spring said. "This award is given to someone who embodies sportsmanship, athleticism and strong academics. Luke has all of those things. It was such an honor to win this award, because it is voted on by the people that know you well in our small community. It's not so much a talent contest as it is a character contest."

Stannard has been a significant contributor in the Illinois lineup since his arrival and has achieved much success inside the gym, specifically on pommel horse, on which he earned both a U.S. National title and Big Ten title in 2009. Outside the gym, he is a two-time College Gymnastics Association (CGA) All-America Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.

The other seven finalists include Jon Buese (Iowa), Derek Gygax (William & Mary), Aaron Fortunato (Minnesota), Nick Noone (Stanford), Kyle Shanahan (Nebraska), Andrew Stover (UIC) and David Chan (Michigan).

The award was founded by trampoline inventor George Nissen and has been awarded annually since 1966. Illinois boasts 17 finalists including Butch Zunich (1980), Steve Lechner (1981), Joe Ledvora (1986), Tigran Mkchyan (1988), David Zeddies (1989), Ricardo Cheriel (1993), Brian Kobylinski (1995), Jon Corbitt (1998), Kyle Zak (1999), Travis Romagnoli (2000), Leo Oka (2001), J.G. Ketchen (2002), Bob Rogers (2004), Ben Newman (2005), Justin Spring (2006), Wes Haagensen (2008) and Luke Stannard (2010).

The winner of the Nissen-Emery Award will be announced on Wednesday, April 14 at the NCAA banquet. The 2010 NCAA Championships take place April 15-17 in West Point, N.Y.