Photo: From the top of the podium, Gymnast Nina McGee captures the moment.
Gymnast Nina McGee achieved a DU first when she became an NCAA champion on floor. While competing in the NCAA Championship all-around, she captured the top score on her bread and butter floor exercise and captured Denver’s first ever gymnastics title. Competing as an individual entrant, she took on gymnasts from the nation’s best programs such as Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, and UCLA and earned the top step to a standing ovation from the crowd in Fort Worth, Texas.
From all accounts she became a clear crowd favorite as she worked through the all-around rotations culminating in her remarkable floor routine.
Her back story includes a 5-year battle overcoming serious injuries through raw determination and her eventual climb to the top of collegiate gymnastics. The All-American gymnast must now be considered among DU’s greatest individual athletes ever.
Twitter exploded across Pionation as the historic event unfolded.
If this isn't the bombest selfie in collegiate gymnastics… Idk what is pic.twitter.com/ExzWpXJ2jy
— Kennedy Baker (@KennBaker15) April 16, 2016
Denver's floor champ, Nina McGee, gets standing ovation as she accepts her trophy for competing as an individual.
— Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) April 16, 2016
Nina is a pro-selfie taker. She managed to get everyone in that shot. https://t.co/A7yUHssInf
— College Gym News (@collegegymnews_) April 16, 2016
She deserves rallies, banners & parades. Plus, the number 10 needs to renamed "Nina" https://t.co/R4HEaN0nvc
— 🧔🏻 ⓀẸｖίη Ҝ𝐑ùᎶ 🧔🏻 (@kevkrug) April 16, 2016
Nina McGee pulls her phone out of the leg of her pants and takes a selfie with the podium LIKE A BOSS. #NCAAgym
— Elizabeth Grimsley (@egrimsley) April 16, 2016
NINA MCGEE HAS JUST WON DU GYMNASTIC'S FIRST EVER NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A SCORE OF 9.95 ON THE FLOOR!!!!! CONGRATS NINA!!!!!!!! #NCAACHAMPS
— Denver Boone (@DU_Boone) April 16, 2016
And @NinaMarie_11 wins @DU_Gymnastics' first-ever national title with a 9.95 on floor! #NCAAgym
— College Gym News (@collegegymnews_) April 16, 2016
Backstage cheering on eventual NCAA FX champ Nina McGee. @nickishapiro @sophina_dejesus @danusiafrancis pic.twitter.com/xvDicFifTt
— UCLA Gymnastics (@uclagymnastics) April 16, 2016
SO insanely proud of you Nina! Way to represent with pride ❤ making history for @UofDenver & @DU_Gymnastics #pioproud #proudalum #NCAAGym
— Kristina Coccia (@kristinacoccia) April 16, 2016
https://twitter.com/leahlomonte/status/721169787359866880
Nina McGee just WON THE CROWD. No matter what score they give her (little pike on front layout). SHE WINS THE CROWD! #NCAAGym
— GymCastic (@GymCastic) April 16, 2016
Congratulations to our newest Pioneer great!
Can’t overstate the importance of this performance by Nina. I would say it’s the most important DU individual performance in at least 55 years, since Jack Kelso’s 1961 NCAA title in the NCAA 200 meter swimming championships, or perhaps the Pioneers’ Jerome Biffle’s 1951 NCAA title in the track long jump, before he went on to win the Gold Medal in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Of course, there have been many, many NCAA individual skiing titles over the years, but those are competed against a very small number of schools. Well done, Nina!
Well Done!
Just saw some Women’s Lacrosse highlights. What’s up with sideline antics? Playing wack-a-mole and practicing golf swings during the game(maybe during stoppages). Do they do that when they’re losing? Call me old school, but I find it disrespectful. I guess they call it having fun. Maybe I’m missing something? Every goal gets a stick drop?
The stick drop has happened on every goal I have seen in women’s lax. I thought the women were respectful on the field but the sideline did seem a bit too animated. That aside, I think today’s discussions should be about Nina.
The women’s lax stick drop is required after scoring a goal by official rules, as refs do stick checks to make sure pockets are legal.
Fair enough, Did not mean to take the spotlight off an outstanding performance/achievment. My bad.
Wow, congratulations to Nina. What an amazing accomplishment. She must have ice in her veins to kill it like that on the big stage. An NCAA champion for DU in what I see as gymnastics’ marquee event. Go Nina, way to represent DU! Gotta say, we have the best small school athletics program in the country.
Can’t overstate the importance of this performance by Nina. I would say it’s the most important DU individual performance in at least 55 years, since Jack Kelso’s 1961 NCAA title in the NCAA 200 meter swimming championships, or perhaps the Pioneers’ Jerome Biffle’s 1951 NCAA title in the track long jump, before he went on to win the Gold Medal in the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki. Of course, there have been many, many NCAA individual skiing titles over the years, but those are competed against a very small number of schools. Well done, Nina!
Well Done!
Just saw some Women’s Lacrosse highlights. What’s up with sideline antics? Playing wack-a-mole and practicing golf swings during the game(maybe during stoppages). Do they do that when they’re losing? Call me old school, but I find it disrespectful. I guess they call it having fun. Maybe I’m missing something? Every goal gets a stick drop?
The stick drop has happened on every goal I have seen in women’s lax. I thought the women were respectful on the field but the sideline did seem a bit too animated. That aside, I think today’s discussions should be about Nina.
The women’s lax stick drop is required after scoring a goal by official rules, as refs do stick checks to make sure pockets are legal.
Fair enough, Did not mean to take the spotlight off an outstanding performance/achievment. My bad.
Wow, congratulations to Nina. What an amazing accomplishment. She must have ice in her veins to kill it like that on the big stage. An NCAA champion for DU in what I see as gymnastics’ marquee event. Go Nina, way to represent DU! Gotta say, we have the best small school athletics program in the country.