ASHLEIGH GNAT
LSU GYMNAST
Everyone calls her “Bugs.”
It was the beloved nickname her parents gave her when she was little—after her last name, Gnat, like the little bug—and it has stuck ever since.
Ashleigh Gnat – People to Watch 2017
ASHLEIGH GNAT
LSU GYMNAST
Everyone calls her “Bugs.”
It was the beloved nickname her parents gave her when she was little—after her last name, Gnat, like the little bug—and it has stuck ever since.
Today, the 22-year-old is an 11-time All-American and ranks as one of the top gymnasts in the nation entering the 2017 season. She’s the reigning SEC Specialist of the Year and the 2016 SEC Floor Exercise Champion. All this as an academic honor roll student for three years straight.
But to her family and her teammates, the down-to-earth, vocal leader is still just “Bugs.”
“I think I’m more of a ‘Bugs’ than I am an ‘Ashleigh,’” she says.
Now a senior, Gnat is ready to deliver another fantastic season for the Tigers in 2017. Though it is her final season as a competitive collegiate gymnast, Gnat has already etched her name in LSU athletics history.
Currently, she ranks fourth all-time in school history, with six perfect 10.0 scores in her career.
As she thinks ahead to graduation, she says she can never completely walk away from the sport. And she will always be a part of LSU gymnastics: Years from now, when people remember the great gymnasts the university housed, Gnat’s will be one of the first names uttered. lsusports.net
Click the thumbnails below to enlarge each photo in the gallery:
On being a senior:
“This season, I really want to focus on enjoying every moment. I want to make the most of the opportunities that I do have, instead of thinking about them coming to an end. I feel very thankful for everything this sport has done for me, for everything that LSU has provided. There are endless good things I could say about our program. It holds such a special place in my heart. But I’ll definitely be [hanging around with the team] next year; I’m not cutting it out cold turkey.”
On the coming gymnastics season:
“We’re very focused on staying in the process and taking one meet at a time. If we focus on doing the right things in practice, sleeping right, eating right, that’s what we call the process. It’s all a mental game.”
On her achievements:
“I try not to think about individual accomplishments too much. I don’t consider myself a ‘great,’ because I feel like I have more to give. For me, what our team is all about is making it all about the team. The team comes before you.”
HOW TO:
Perform her signature vault—the double-twisting Yurchenko
1. Start at the end of the vault runway and run as fast as you can toward the vault.
2. When you’re about three feet in front of the springboard, do a roundoff onto it.
3. Then do a back handspring onto the vault. As you come out of the handspring, push and rotate your body up to prepare for your finale.
4. Still in mid-air, complete one flip and two twists.
5. Don’t forget to stick the landing!
This article was originally published in the January 2017 issue of 225 Magazine.
