STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford senior Colt Walker has been one of thirteen finalists for the Nissen-Emery award, as announced by the College Gymnastics Association on Saturday morning.
Walker was the lone gymnast to be unanimously voted as a finalist, joining Javier Alfonso (Michigan), Ashton Anaya (Illinois), Garrett Braunton (Air Force), Syam Buradagunta (Navy), Aidan Cuy (William & Mary), Michael Fletcher (Illinois), Jack Freeman (Oklahoma), Donovan Hewitt (Ohio State), Connor McCool (Illinois), Noah Newfeld (Cal), Sam Phillips (Nebraska), and Evgeny Siminiuc (Michigan) as nominees for the prestigious honor.
The Nissen-Emery award is given annually to the top senior gymnast in the nation. Recognized as the highest honor in college gymnastics, the award will be presented at the NCAA Championship banquet next month.
Walker has spent a decorated career on The Farm as a three-time NCAA championship team member and a two-time MPSF conference team champion. Individually, he was the 2022 NCAA parallel bars runner-up and the MPSF individual champion on parallel bars that same year. The senior was also also All-MPSF on pommel horse in 2023.
A member of the U.S. Senior National Team during his time at Stanford, Walker is a two-time USA World Team member (2022-23) and 2023 World Championship team bronze medalist. The Austin, Texas native also won gold with the United States in the 2023 Pan American Games final, and was an individual silver medalist on parallel bars with a 14.366.
Walker carries a 3.45 GPA as a mechanical engineering major and has twice been named a CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete, along with three Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll selections (2021-23) and an MPSF All-Academic Scholar-Athlete honor in 2022.
Stanford boasts six previous Nissen-Emery Award recipients, including the 2022 winner in Brody Malone. Akash Modi (2017), Eddie Penev (2013), Dan Gill (2004), Josh Stein (1995) and Steve Hug (1974) previously won the award. Walker is looking to become the fifth honoree mentored by head coach Thom Glielmi joining Malone, Modi, Penev and Gill.
The original Nissen Award was named in honor of George Nissen, a former NCAA champion, for his contributions to men's gymnastics. The award was re-named the Nissen-Emery Award in 1998 to honor Dr. Robert Emery, a Penn State graduate, who won the Nissen Award in 1969.
The Nissen-Emery Award is inscribed with the following motto: "The true champion seeks excellence physically, mentally, socially, and morally."