NCATA Announces 2017 All-Americans, Major Award Winners
Baylor senior Kiara Nowlin earned her second career National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association (NCATA) Most Outstanding Athlete award to lead the 2017 NCATA All-America team, announced on Saturday afternoon by the organization. Hawaii Pacific freshman Makayla Garland earned NCATA Newcomer of the Year honors, King University senior Emily Powers was named the recipient of the Louise Goodrum Academic Achievement Award, and University of Oregon head coach Chelsea Shaw was named the NCATA Coach of the Year.
Nowlin, who picked up her first Most Outstanding Athlete honor in 2014, was a dominant force for the second-seeded Bears, helping Baylor to a 5-1 regular season record. Long lauded for her ability on the mat, the senior was a member eight perfect-scoring heats for Baylor throughout the season, four of which came on her individual passes. Nowlin began the 2017 campaign scoring three straight 10's in the aerial pass, adding a perfect score in the open pass on February 25.
To compliment her tumbling scores, Nowlin was on a seven-element acro heat that scored a 10 on April 11, and joined the Bears on several 10.0-scoring compulsory toss heats. Overall, the senior averaged a 9.921 in compulsory toss, a 9.829 in inverted pyramid, a 9.988 in aerial pass and a 9.925 in the open pass to anchor the Bears in their pursuit for a third consecutive national championship.
Garland becomes the first Shark to earn the Newcomer of the Year award after a phenomenal season for Hawaii Pacific. The freshman base was a part of the first acro heat to score a perfect 10 in program history, accomplishing the feat in the six-element pass at the midway point of the season. Garland would continue to excel, averaging a 9.892 in the compulsory pyramid, a 9.880 in the six-element acro, and a 9.713 in the inverted pyramid. In the open pass, Garland logged a 9.90 in the Sharks' second meet of the season, averaging a score of 9.863 over three passes throughout the year.
Powers, a senior base, is a senior sports management major with a minor in digital arts media and design, and is slated to graduate from Bristol with a 3.98 grade point average. On the mat, Powers was a member of the inaugural Tornado acrobatics and tumbling team, and was a member of the squad's 9.883 average in the open pyramid this year, culminating with a perfect 10 against Quinnipiac on March 18.
Shaw earns her first Coach of the Year honor after leading the Ducks to a 6-1 regular season record, an unblemished, 4-0 mark at home and the top seed in the NCATA Tournament. Oregon excelled throughout the regular season, averaging a total score of 285.81 which included a season-high 288.425 against Fairmont State on March 17. Shaw coached a pair of All-Americans in junior Taylor Galvin and senior Krista Phillips, and closed the 2017 regular season with a 24-8 record in Eugene.
2017 NCATA All-Americans
Alia Nolan, Alderson Broaddus University
Ashleigh Pitts, Azusa Pacific University
Kiara Nowlin, Baylor University
Lauren Sturm, Baylor University
Kaelyn Cowan, Baylor University
Hayley Nejman, Gannon University
Sonia Stone, King University
Daisha Paulino, Hawaii Pacific University
Taylor Galvin, University of Oregon
Krista Phillips, University of Oregon
Kelsey Rule, Quinnipiac University
Allee Tallman, Quinnipiac University
2017 NCATA Most Outstanding Player
Kiara Nowlin, Baylor University
2017 NCATA Newcomer of the Year
Makayla Garland, Hawaii Pacific University
2017 NCATA Coach of the Year
Chelsea Shaw, University of Oregon
2017 Louise Goodrum Academic Achievement Award
Emily Powers, King University