March 25, 2010
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University of Iowa men’s gymnastics standout Jonathan Buese has been selected as one of eight finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award, given by the College Gymnastics Association. The Nissen-Emery Award is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy of men’s gymnastics.
Since 1966, college gymnastics’ highest honor, the Nissen-Emery Award, has been presented annually to that year’s outstanding senior collegiate gymnast. The Nissen-Emery Award winner must excel in the sport, be an example of good sportsmanship and must maintain a high standard of scholarship throughout his college career.
“Jon is, in my opinion, the perfect Nissen-Emery Award candidate,” Head Coach Tom Dunn said. “He is not the best gymnast in the country, but he is very good and still improving weekly as a senior. He is not the best student at Iowa, but is an excellent student whose intellectual curiosity always surprises me. He has already won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award and is truly the balanced person described in the Nissen-Emery Award motto.”
Buese has season team-bests in all-around (84.850), parallel bars (14.450) and horizontal bar (14.600). According to GymInfo National rankings, the Gainesville, FL, native, ranks 14th in all- around and in the top 30 in vault, parallel bars and high bar.
The last Hawkeye to be considered for the award was Jacques Bouchard in 2007. The award presentation is held annually at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships, which will be held at West Point’s Christl Arena in West Point, NY, April 15-17.
NISSEN-EMERY AWARD FINALISTS Jonathan Buese, University of Iowa
David Chan, University of Michigan
Aaron Fortunato, University of Minnesota
Derek Gygax, College of William & Mary
Nick Noone, Stanford University
Kyle Shanahan, University of Nebraska
Luke Stannard, University of Illinois
Andrew Stover, Illinois-Chicago