Congratulations to our Graduating Region 5 Alumni of the Pac-12 & Big-12 Conferences! It has been a pleasure watching your greatness over these last 4 years of college and your years prior as part of Region 5.
Christina Berg
University of Arizona
Legacy Elite
Career Highlights:
-2020 All Pac-12 Honorable Mention
-2019 All American Second Team (Uneven Bars)
-2019 All Pac-12 Second Team (Uneven Bars)
-2019 Scholastic All-American
-2019 Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention
-2018 Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention
Career Bests:
Bars: 9.975
Floor: 9.90
Haylie Hendrickson
University of Arizona
Set-10
Career Highlights:
-2019 Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention
-2018 Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention
-2017 Pac-12 All Academic Honorable Mention
Career Bests:
Bars: 9.875
Beam: 9.875
Floor: 9.775
Laura Burns
Iowa State
Phenom/Legacy Elite
Career Highlights:
-2018 Academic All Big-12 First Team
-2017 Academic All Big-12 Rookie Team
-2016-2019 Big-12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll
We sat down today for our first Corona College Salute Podcast with Michigan 2020 Senior Lexi Funk! Lexi, shared with us her top 5 favorite Michigan Leos for our new special Lovely Leos:Alumni Edition.
The 2020 season was cut short with seniors career coming to end with the the closure they may have wanted. We at the Region 5 Insider are hoping to provide some closure with our Alumni Conversation. Our first senior conversation is with Michigan Senior Lexi Funk. We look back on her JO and College career and she talks about her thoughts on the end of her career at Michigan. There are a lot of great stories mixed in so enjoy!
Show Breakdown:
Looking back on her career how did her club and Region 5 impact her college career
Lexi breaks down her 2014 JO Nationals experience (she breaks down her JO National Bars Championship routine for us)
Moments that stood out in each of her 4 years
Lexi talks about how her career ended
How she has changed and evolved during her college career
Most embarrassing moments during her career
Talks about her last 2 meets of her career
How she wants to be remembered
Sparkle and Shine- Lexi’s favorite Michigan Lovely Leos (link to photos)
Full Out Recruiting will be on the show in a few weeks to answer any questions you may have related to college recruiting. Send questions to [email protected] or in direct message them on Instagram at FullOutRecruit.
The season ending so abruptly at the beginning of March, meant there would be no championship season… no national champions crowned… no official ending to the 2020 competition season. We won’t have the thrill of the eight regions of USA Gymnastics battling it out for age group team champions or the suspense of who will win the JO National Super Region Trophy, Region 5 Still the Champs!
The 2020 USAG JO Invitational season however was only shortened by 1 weekend so thanks to mymeetscores.com we have a compiled list of all the top scores from around the country on all four events and the all around. We will be highlighting all of our Region 5 athletes who have made the Top 100 list with event video from the meet it was achieved (thank you to all the coaches who sent me videos to include in this post).
Our next 20 Questions athlete is a multiple JO National Qualifier, JO National Uneven Bars Champion and a future Arkansas RazorBack! Gillian Rutz from Perfection Gymnastics in Cincinnati, Ohio has had a great career in Region 5 Gymnastics, however this year did not end how she wanted or planned. This generation of seniors is like no other, having their seasons end on someone else terms, but what there is a bright light at the end of the tunnel in that those, like Gillian, still have 4 more years of gymnastics to look forward too! Let’s get to know Gillian a little better as she looks to the future of her gymnastics career at the University of Arkansas. Thank you for your contributions to Region 5 Gymnastics, Ohio Gymnastics and of course your home club Perfection Gymnastics.
How did you get into gymnastics? How old were you? I got into gymnastics when I was 5 years old
What is your favorite event? My favorite event is bars
Favorite Skill to train/compete My favorite skill to train/compete is a ray on bars
Dream Skill? My dream skill is a comaneci on bars
What is your favorite part of gymnastics? My favorite part about gymnastics is having my teammates by my side and the accomplishments achieved
What college do you plan on attending? I plan on attending the University of Arkansas #woopig
What is your favorite meet to compete at? Why?My favorite meet to compete at is the California classic because it is in California
Biggest accomplishment in gymnastics so far? My biggest accomplishment is winning bars and JO Nationals
What is your favorite Region 5 Insider Feature or Series? My favorite Region 5 Insider feature is 2Q Tuesday
What kinds of things really make you laugh? My friends and funny videos
3 Things you could not live without? 3 things I could not live without are my airpods, phone, and friends
If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why? I would be a monkey because they are wild
5 Most Important or Must have Items in your gym bag? 5 most important items in my gym bag are snacks, tape, pre-wrap, advil, and a roller
Do you have any pre-meet rituals or superstitions? I listen tomusic to hype me up
What do you like to do outside of Gymnastics?I like to hang with my friends
Most embarrassing meet moment or gymnastics moment? The most embarrassing meet moment is when I forgot my floor routine
Do you have a nickname? If so what Is the story behind it? I have lots of nicknames that people randomly call me
Which athletes (any sport) do you respect the most and why? I respect Katelyn Ohashi because she is very inspiring and unique
Something you learned from Gymnastics that you will take with you? Something I learned from gymnastics that I will take with me is how to manage time well
Most Memorable Gymnastics or JO Nationals Moment? Most memorable gymnastics moments are the relationships I have made with my coaches and teammates
What is the most valuable piece of advice or wisdom your coach has given you? Get out of your comfort zone and see where the results take you
Bonus Question: Tell me something interesting about yourself…. I love to swim!
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