MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior gymnast Jaida Lawrence is a semifinalist for the 2016 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award, as announced today by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine.
A native of Rocky Hill, Connecticut, she is one of 15 females to land on the semifinal list. The semifinalists were chosen from more than 1,000 minority student-athletes nominated by their respective institutions.
Lawrence, the lone gymnast named to the list, has been featured in the Mountaineer lineups in all 43 career meets. One of the team’s top vaulters, she owns 13 career victories, all on vault, and shows a career-high 9.