BATON ROUGE – LSU Gymnastics senior Haleigh Bryant has been named the 2024 winner of the Honda Sport Award for gymnastics, Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) announced on Friday.
After leading the LSU Gymnastics program to its first national championship, Bryant was chosen the winner by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools, becoming only the second LSU gymnast to receive the prestigious award alongside Susan Jackson (2010). The three other finalists included Jordan Bowers (Oklahoma), Jade Carey (Oregon State) and Leanne Wong (Florida).
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 48 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”. The winner of the sport award becomes a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2024 Honda Cup, which will be presented on a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 6 p.m. CT, from its new home in New York City.
Often considered one of the highest honors a college athlete can receive, this award recognizes Bryant as the top collegiate female athlete in her sport. It’s a testament to her hard work and dedication to her craft.
“It is truly an honor to win this year’s Honda Sports Award for gymnastics. I’m excited to represent LSU and be surrounded by some of the top athletes in the country at this year’s award ceremony in New York City,” said Bryant.
Bryant, already one of the most accomplished gymnasts in school history, continues to make history, and she’s not done yet. The senior from Cornelius, N.C., announced last month that she will return for her final season with the Tigers in 2025.
“After talking with my family, my coaches and my teammates, it was just a really good opportunity,” Bryant said. “I love gymnastics. It’s been a part of my life for so long, and I don’t think I was really ready for it to end.”
It’s not only Bryant’s consistency that sets her apart from anyone else in the country, but the person and leader that she is.
“Haleigh Bryant is without a doubt one of the all timers in our sport and is every bit the person that she is an athlete,” said LSU Head Coach Jay Clark. “Her leadership and example have been exemplary and I am so very proud of her earning this award. It is richly deserved.”
Recipient of the 2024 AAI Award and SEC Gymnast of the Year honors, Bryant capped off her senior campaign as an NCAA all-around champion and team national champion. Now, she adds another award to her resume, cementing herself among LSU athletic royalty and joining Jackson in history.
Earlier this year, Bryant became only the fourth gymnast in NCAA history to achieve the trifecta of NCAA team title, all-around title and the AAI Award, following in similar footsteps of Jackson, who was the first LSU gymnast to secure the AAI Award and the Honda Award in the same season.
Bryant is a 27-time All-American, earning 10 honors in 2024 and has 94 career titles, including 33 this season, placing fifth all-time in program history. She is the first gymnast in school history to achieve both a “Gym Slam” and season slam this season while posting eight perfect scores on the year. Overall, she has 18 career perfect marks and 30 total all-around titles, the most by any gymnast in LSU history.
With her five NCAA All-America honors at the NCAA Championships this year, she became the first gymnast in program history to earn honors on all five events and the all-around in both the regular and postseason.
Her greatness started from day one, as Bryant was consistent all year long for the Tigers. She ranked as the No. 1 gymnast in the country for 10 consecutive weeks throughout the regular season in 2024 and entered the postseason with top-10 placements on every event: first on vault, fourth on bars, eighth on beam and seventh on floor.
In 2024, she competed on 62 events for the Tigers, tallying 31 scores of 9.95+ and 25 above 9.900. She recorded 10 meets with scores of 9.9+ or higher on every event and owns 154 scores of 9.900 or better across 200 events in her career.
On top of that, Bryant recorded the highest all-around score (39.925) in school history and finished with an National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 39.8+, joining an elite group of gymnasts who have surpassed that mark.
“I’m grateful for my parents, coaches, and teammates who have supported me throughout my career. I also want to thank everyone at Honda for supporting women’s sports and recognizing our achievements,” said Bryant.
Bryant will look to take home the Honda Cup on June 24th in New York City. She would not only be the first LSU gymnast to take home the Honda Cup, which is presented annually by the CWSA to the nation’s Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, but the first athlete in LSU history.
There have only been three gymnasts to receive the Honda Cup in the history of the award: Missy Marlowe (1992), Courtney Kupets (2009) and Kim Jacob (2014).
LSU now has seven athletes who have been recognized as the nation’s top athlete in their respective sport since the award began in 1977. Below is the list of LSU athletes who have won the Honda Sport Award:
D’Andre Hill, Track & Field (1996)
Keisha Spencer, Track & Field (2000)
Seimone Augustus, Basketball (2005, 2006)
Susan Jackson, Gymnastics (2010)
Marta Silva Zamora, Golf (2011)
Kimberlyn Duncan, Track & Field (2012, 2013)
Haleigh Bryant, Gymnastics (2024)
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