Gymnastics Earns Nine WCGNIC All-America Honors; Six Compete in Individual Finals
Nicole Pujals ties for first on bars while Abby Kenney earns a pair of All-America nods (bars, vault).
WEST CHESTER, Pa. - Six members of the University of Bridgeport gymnastics team, all of whom earned WCGNIC All-America honors during Friday night's team semifinals, returned to competition on Sunday for the individual event finals.
Nicole Pujals led the way for UB on bars, tying for first place with a 9.775 to claim a share of the national title.
Emily Hernandez added a top-10 finish on bars with a 9.675, while Abby Kenney placed 13th in the event with a 9.600.
On vault, Nova Staruk continued her standout postseason, tying for second place with a score of 9.775, while Lena Coxon secured an eighth-place finish with a 9.5875.
Rounding out Bridgeport's individual finalists, Rian Thompkins posted a ninth-place finish on beam with a 9.475. She was also named as the winner of the 2026 Mari-Rae Sopper Spirit Award.
The award is given annually to the gymnast who best exemplifies passion, dedication, and devotion to the sport of gymnastics and is named for the late Mari-Rae Sopper who died aboard American Airlines Flight 77 on September 11, 2001 while traveling to start her new job as the head women's gymnastics coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Samantha Nokes and Georgia Reed also earned All-America honors for UB, but did not compete on Sunday in the individual finals.
UB's 2026 WCGNIC First-Team All-Americans:
Nova Staruk – Vault
Lena Coxon – Vault
Abby Kenney – Bars
Samantha Nokes – Bars
Nicole Pujals – Bars
Emily Hernandez – Bars
Rian Thompkins – Beam
UB's 2026 WCGNIC Second-Team All-Americans:
Abby Kenney – Vault
Georgia Reed – Bars
UP NEXT
Staruk will be the final Purple Knight to compete in 2026 when she heads to Lexington, Ky. for the NCAA Regionals on April 3.