Nia Camille Dennis (born February 23, 1999) is a retired American collegiate

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 was a member of the USA National Team from 2012–16. She is the 2014 Pacific Rim team champion and junior all-around and vault silver medalist. She was a member of the

UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics The UCLA Bruins women's gymnastics team represents the University of California, Los Angeles and competes in the Pac-12 Conference. They currently compete in Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA. The team, coached by Janelle McDonald, has won 21 Reg ...

team.

Gymnastics career

Career beginnings

2010–12

Dennis competed at the 2010 Covergirl Classic in the 10-11 Hopes Division, where she placed second. In 2011 Dennis qualified to Junior International Elite status. She qualified to the Covergirl Classic in the Junior division. She finished 21st of 36 participants, with a score of 50.450 and therefore did not advance to the

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

. Dennis was scheduled to compete at the 2012

Secret U.S. Classic The U.S. Classic is an annual summer gymnastics meet for elite artistic gymnasts of the United States. The meet occurs before Nationals and is a qualifier for it. In Olympic years, the aforementioned meets along with the U.S. Olympic Trials are u ...

but withdrew due to injury. She advanced to the 2012 National Championships as she had already qualified. She had an excellent two days of competition, accumulating a two-day all-around score of 109.550.

Junior elite

2013

Dennis returned to the

in 2013. She finished fifth all-around, picking up a gold medal in vault (15.250) and a silver on floor exercise (14.600). Dennis advanced to the 2013 National Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. She finished her two days of competition with 112.550, placing fourth in the all-around. She took home a silver medal on vault also.

2014

Dennis made her international debut in March 2014 at the

City of Jesolo Trophy The City of Jesolo Trophy is an annual women's gymnastics competition held in Jesolo, Italy. There are competitions for the senior division and junior division. The United States won the senior team competition every year from 2010 to 2017.

in Jesolo, Italy. She took home a team gold and individual silvers on the uneven bars and the all-around. She went on to compete at the

2014 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships The 2014 Pacific Rim Championships were held from 9 April to 12 April 2014 in Richmond, British Columbia. Overall medal table Medalists Artistic gymnastics Men's events Women's events Rhythmic gymnastics #^Medals were also awarded for ...

Richmond, Ontario Richmond is a suburban community, part of the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1818, it spans the Jock River, a tributary of the Rideau River. A part of the National Capital Region, Richmond is located 10kms southwest of ...

, where she won the gold medal with the U.S. team and won silver in the all-around and on vault behind teammate

Bailie Key Bailie Jaye Key (born 16 March 1999) is a retired American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold-medal-winning team at the 2014 Pacific Rim Championships and was the 2013 U.S. Junior National Champion. Gymnastics career 2011-14: ...

. In August Dennis competed at the

U.S. Classic The U.S. Classic is an annual summer gymnastics meet for elite artistic gymnasts of the United States. The meet occurs before Nationals and is a qualifier for it. In Olympic years, the aforementioned meets along with the U.S. Olympic Trials are u ...

where she finished second in the all-around behind

Jordan Chiles Jordan Lucella Elizabeth Chiles (born April 15, 2001) is an American artistic gymnast. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the team event. She was a member of the team that won gold at the 2 ...

. She won gold on uneven bars, silver on vault behind Chiles, silver on balance beam behind

Norah Flatley Norah Irene Flatley (born March 10, 2000, in San Diego, California) is an American artistic gymnast. She is the 2014 Pacific Rim junior balance beam champion. She previously competed for the UCLA Bruins and also competed for the Arkansas Razo ...

, and placed 26th on floor exercise. Dennis finished the season competing at the

. She placed second in the all-around behind

Jazmyn Foberg Jazmyn Foberg (born February 2, 2000) is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2014 junior national all-around and uneven bars champion, as well as a member of the United States Junior National Team. Starting in 2017, she is competing on the ...

. She placed first on vault and floor exercise, third on uneven bars behind Foberg and Flatley, 22nd on balance beam.

Senior elite

2015

Dennis turned senior in 2015. On February 17, 2015, Dennis announced that she had committed to

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

for NCAA gymnastics. At the 2015 U.S. Classic Dennis did not compete on floor exercise. She finished sixth and seventh on uneven bars and balance beam respectively. At the 2015 National Championships Dennis finished ninth in the all-around, 13th on uneven bars, fourth on balance beam, and tenth on floor exercise. Following the National Championships Dennis was named to the U.S. Senior National Team and was invited to the World Championships training camp.

2016

Dennis was selected to represent the United States at the Stuttgart World Cup. However, in February 2016, she tore her

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcaneus (h ...

and was replaced by

Amelia Hundley Amelia Magdalena Hundley (born January 21, 1998) is a former American artistic gymnast. She won a gold, silver, and bronze medal at the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She also won team gold medals competing for the United ...

. In June Dennis competed at the

where she only competed on uneven bars. She finished eighth on the apparatus. On November 16 Dennis officially signed her

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

with the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pac-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). ...

gymnastics team.

NCAA

2017–18 season

In the fall of 2017, Dennis began attending the University of California, Los Angeles, joining the gymnastics program for the 2017-2018 season.

Regular season ranking

Competitive history

Junior

Senior

NCAA

References

External links

Profile
at

USA Gymnastics United States of America Gymnastics (USA Gymnastics or USAG) is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Established in 1963 as the U.S. Gymnastics Federation (USGF), USA Gymnastics is responsible for selecting and traini ...

Profile
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Nia 1999 births Living people American female artistic gymnasts African-American female gymnasts Sportspeople from Columbus, Ohio UCLA Bruins women's gymnasts U.S. women's national team gymnasts 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women