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2023 Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Individual Honors Announced
ROSEMONT, Ill. (March 28, 2023) — The Big Ten Conference announced the 2023 men’s gymnastics individual award recipients on Tuesday. Nebraska junior Taylor Christopulos earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors row, while Michigan’s Fred Richard was the unanimous choice as Big Ten Freshman of the Year, following a vote by the conference’s head coaches.
Christopulos is the second Nebraska gymnast selected as Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and the first to earn the award outright since the Huskers joined the conference in 2011-12. Anton Stephenson was a co-recipient of the honor in 2019, sharing the accolade with Minnesota’s Shane Wiskus.
Christopulos, who garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2021, currently leads the nation in the all-around with an 81.733 four-score average and ranks second in the country with a season-high 83.250 in the event. The Layton, Utah, product is also second in the nation on the vault (14.767 four-score average) and fifth in the country on the floor (14.400 four-score average).
Richard is the eighth Michigan gymnast to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first to be selected unanimously. Paul Juda was the most recent Wolverine named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, capturing the honor in 2020.
A native of Stoughton, Mass., Richard was a two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week and three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, sweeping both honors on Feb. 27. Richard is the national leader on the high bar this year with a 14.583 four-score average, along with a top score of 14.750 (second in the nation) on Jan. 21 at the Rocky Mountain Open. He has also topped 14.000 on the vault (three times) and the parallel bars (twice), posting a 14.850 (tied for third nationally) on the latter apparatus on Jan. 28 against Ohio State.
In addition, Richard placed second in the all-around at the Winter Cup on Feb. 24 in Louisville, Ky., with a score of 84.602. That mark secured his place on the U.S. Senior National Team roster.
Also on Tuesday, the Big Ten recognized the five men’s gymnastics Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Ohio State’s Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. (ET) both nights and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, as well as streamed live on the FOX Sports app. Additional information will be available on the Championships web site at bigten.org/MGYM.
The Big Ten Coach of the Year and Gymnast of the Championships awards will be selected by the conference coaches during this weekend’s meet and will be announced, along with the all-conference teams, following the Championships.
2023 BIG TEN MEN’S GYMNASTICS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Gymnast of the Year: Taylor Christopulos, Jr., NEB
Freshman of the Year: FRED RICHARD, MICH
Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Connor McCool, ILL
Adam Wooten, MICH
Moritz Mueller, NEB
Luke Smigliani, OSU
Matt Cormier, PSU
Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, Big Ten Conference has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten Conference institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013.
Christopulos is the second Nebraska gymnast selected as Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and the first to earn the award outright since the Huskers joined the conference in 2011-12. Anton Stephenson was a co-recipient of the honor in 2019, sharing the accolade with Minnesota’s Shane Wiskus.
Christopulos, who garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2021, currently leads the nation in the all-around with an 81.733 four-score average and ranks second in the country with a season-high 83.250 in the event. The Layton, Utah, product is also second in the nation on the vault (14.767 four-score average) and fifth in the country on the floor (14.400 four-score average).
Richard is the eighth Michigan gymnast to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the first to be selected unanimously. Paul Juda was the most recent Wolverine named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, capturing the honor in 2020.
A native of Stoughton, Mass., Richard was a two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week and three-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season, sweeping both honors on Feb. 27. Richard is the national leader on the high bar this year with a 14.583 four-score average, along with a top score of 14.750 (second in the nation) on Jan. 21 at the Rocky Mountain Open. He has also topped 14.000 on the vault (three times) and the parallel bars (twice), posting a 14.850 (tied for third nationally) on the latter apparatus on Jan. 28 against Ohio State.
In addition, Richard placed second in the all-around at the Winter Cup on Feb. 24 in Louisville, Ky., with a score of 84.602. That mark secured his place on the U.S. Senior National Team roster.
Also on Tuesday, the Big Ten recognized the five men’s gymnastics Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The 2023 Big Ten Men’s Gymnastics Championships will be held Friday and Saturday at Ohio State’s Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio. The meet will begin at 8 p.m. (ET) both nights and will be televised live on the Big Ten Network, as well as streamed live on the FOX Sports app. Additional information will be available on the Championships web site at bigten.org/MGYM.
The Big Ten Coach of the Year and Gymnast of the Championships awards will be selected by the conference coaches during this weekend’s meet and will be announced, along with the all-conference teams, following the Championships.
2023 BIG TEN MEN’S GYMNASTICS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Gymnast of the Year: Taylor Christopulos, Jr., NEB
Freshman of the Year: FRED RICHARD, MICH
Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Connor McCool, ILL
Adam Wooten, MICH
Moritz Mueller, NEB
Luke Smigliani, OSU
Matt Cormier, PSU
Big Ten Conference (bigten.org) is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching, and public service. Founded in 1896, Big Ten Conference has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness, and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten Conference institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. Big Ten Conference sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013.