Alexandra Claire McMurtry (born December 8, 1996) is an American former

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. She is the 2013

Nastia Liukin Cup The Nastia Liukin Cup (formerly the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup from 2010–11) is an annual artistic gymnastics competition held in the United States and hosted by Olympic gymnast Nastia Liukin. History In August 2009, USA Gymnastics announced ...

champion and the 2017 NCAA Champion. She competed in NCAA gymnastics for the

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

and was the 10th person in NCAA history to record a Gym Slam.

Early life and education

McMurtry was born in

Commerce Township, Michigan Commerce Township, officially the Charter Township of Commerce, is a charter township of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 40,186 at the 2010 census. As a western suburb of Metro Detroit, Commerce Township is abo ...

, to David and Christine McMurtry and has two siblings. She graduated from James River High School in 2015 and started up at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

that fall and was part of their gymnastics team. McMurtry graduated summa cum laude in August 2018 with degree in

Applied Physiology Applied Physiology is the study of biological systems and steps into practice. It involves the application of the knowledge of physiological properties to restore core stability and joint stability. It differs from clinical practice. See also * ...

Kinesiology Kinesiology () is the scientific study of human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, anatomical, biomechanical, pathological, neuropsychological principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health ...

–Exercise Physiology.

Gymnastics career

Junior Olympic Level 10

2011 – 2012

McMurtry competed at the 2011 Women's Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, California. She won the all-around title with 38.575 points, ahead of silver medalist Maggie Nichols. She also tied for the highest score on vault with a 9.950 and floor with a score of 9.650. In 2012 McMurtry competed at the Atlanta Crown Invitational where she placed first in the all-around and qualifier for the

. There she placed second behind Charity Jones. At the 2012 Women's Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships, McMurtry once again placed first.

2013 – 2014

In early 2013, McMurtry verbally committed to attend the

on a gymnastics scholarship. In March 2013 McMurtry once again competed at the

; this time she finished in first place. At the 2013 Women's Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships she finished in second place behind future Florida Gator teammate Alicia Boren. At the 2014 Women's Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships, McMurtry finished in eighth place after a disappointing uneven bars performance. She finished first on vault.

NCAA

2014–2015

As a freshman in 2015, McMurtry regularly contributed to the Florida gymnastics team on vault, bars and beam during the regular season, and also saw action on floor. She was ranked #1 in the nation on vault at the end of the regular season on March 16, 2015.

2015–2016

McMurtry made her floor exercise debut in a match against LSU. She received two perfect 10s on uneven bars.

2016–2017

McMurtry won the all-around at both the Southeastern Conference Championships and at the 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. Additionally she won the Honda Sports Award and the NCAA

Elite 90 Award The Elite 90 Award or more formally The Elite 90 Academic Recognition Award Program, originally the Elite 88 Award and later the Elite 89 Award, is an award by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recognizing the student athlete wi ...

, an award given to the student-athlete with the highest GPA at each of the 90 NCAA championships sites.

2017–2018

On January 26, McMurtry earned a perfect 10 on balance beam, thus completing a ''Gym Slam'' – earning a perfect 10 on each apparatus. She is the second Florida Gator to achieve this feat after

Bridget Sloan Bridget Elizabeth Sloan (born June 23, 1992) is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2009 world champion in the all-around, the 2009 United States national champion, and a silver medalist with the American team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in ...

. Later in the season McMurtry won the gold on vault at both the Southeastern Conference Championships and at the 2018 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. She was also awarded the NCAA's

Today's Top 10 Award The Today's Top 10 Award is given each year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to honor ten former outstanding senior student-athletes. The award was previously known by three different names, each reflecting the number of rec ...

Career perfect 10.0

Competitive history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMurtry, Alex 1996 births Living people Level 10 gymnasts People from Brighton, Michigan Sportspeople from Livingston County, Michigan People from Midlothian, Virginia Sportspeople from Virginia American female artistic gymnasts Florida Gators women's gymnasts 21st-century American women