The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Alison Gibson named NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award honoree
01.06.2021 | Women's Swimming and Diving, T-Association, Student Services
Former Women’s Diving standout to be recognized during 2021 NCAA Convention on Jan. 13.
AUSTIN, Texas — Former University of Texas women's diving standout Alison Gibson has been named one of the 2021 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award winners, the NCAA announced Wednesday afternoon. Gibson will be honored as part of the NCAA Convention during a virtual Honors Celebration awards show on Wednesday, Jan. 13. The show will be streamed at 6 p.m. Central (7 p.m. Eastern) on the NCAA Twitter account and on the ESPN app.
The prestigious award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The honorees are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, composed of representatives of NCAA member schools, conferences and distinguished citizens, including past awardees.
Originally tabbed the NCAA Top V Award, Texas has had seven student-athletes earn this prestigious award, the last coming in 2012 when football standout Sam Acho received the NCAA Top VIII Award. The other honorees are Kenneth Sims (football/1982), Betsy Mitchell (swimming & diving/1989), Ilyina Vera (swimming & diving/1999), Kelly Watson (soccer/2005) and Cat Osterman (softball/2007).
Gibson previously was recognized as one of the Top 30 honorees for the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The 2017 NCAA Champion on the one-meter board, Gibson was a six-time All-American and one-time honorable mention All-American during her four years with the Longhorns (2017-20).
A four-time Big 12 Conference individual champion, she earned 2020 Big 12 Women's Diver of the Year honors and was the 2020 Co-Big 12 Women's Diver of the Meet. Gibson won the one-meter title (323.35) and placed second on the three-meter board (381.60) at the 2020 Big 12 Championship meet. She then won the three-meter title (687.15) and took second on the one-meter board (603.85) at the 2020 NCAA Zone D Championships prior to the NCAA Championship meet being canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gibson also represented Team USA at the 2017 and 2019 FINA World Championships, the 2018 FINA Diving World Cup and the 2017 World University Games. She placed second on the three-meter board (954.90) and on the three-meter synchronized springboard (594.27) at the 2019 USA Diving Winter Championships.
In the classroom, Gibson earned CoSIDA Academic All-America First-Team honors last spring and received her bachelor's degree in Advertising in May 2020. A three-time Academic All-Big 12 First-Team selection, she also claimed a NCAA Winter Sports Postgraduate Scholarship award and the Big 12 Prentice Gautt Postgraduate Scholarship. Gibson is currently enrolled as a graduate student at The University of Texas and is pursuing a master's degree in Advertising.
Gibson was a standout during her time on the Forty Acres in regards to community service and leadership. A three-year representative on UT's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), she served as SAAC President as a senior in 2019-20 and revised the group's mission statement, updated the bylaws, restructured committees and established a new executive board.
Gibson also initiated the concept of a fund in partnership with Neighborhood Longhorns that will help support passionate athletes from less fortunate backgrounds. She was a four-year leader with the campus' Fellowship of Christian Athletes, served on the B4 Committee (working with UT faculty members to improve the relationship between faculty and athletes on campus), performed a one-year internship with the UT Athletics marketing department, and traveled to Costa Rica in the summer of 2018 to work with a non-profit organization called Soles for Souls that provided shoes to young children from poor areas of Costa Rica.
2021 NCAA Today's Top 10 Award Winners
|
Name |
School |
Sport |
|
Nia Akins |
University of Pennsylvania |
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field |
|
Bernardo Amaral Neves |
Washington University in St. Louis |
Tennis |
|
Brittny Ellis |
University of Miami (Fla.) |
Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field |
|
University of Texas |
Swimming & Diving |
|
|
Eoin Gronningsater |
Duke University |
Fencing |
|
Deshawn Jones |
Missouri University of Science & Technology |
Football |
|
Lily Justine |
UCLA |
Beach Volleyball |
|
Kayla Leland |
Whitworth University |
Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field, Basketball |
|
Asia Seidt |
University of Kentucky |
Swimming and Diving |
|
Juah Toe |
West Chester University of Pennsylvania |
Rugby |
Players Mentioned
