Iowa senior gymnast Jon Buese was recently named a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award, given annually to the nation’s outstanding collegiate gymnast.

The Gainesville, Fla., native leads the Hawkeyes in the all-around and recently tried out for the U.S. National Team in February.

The Nissen-Emery award is regarded as the Heisman Trophy of collegiate gymnastics and also takes into account the sportsmanship of an athlete in both victory and defeat.

The other seven finalists include Derek Gygax (William & Mary), Aaron Fortunato (Minnesota), Nicholas Noone (Stanford), Kyle Shanahan (Nebraska), Luke Stannard (Illinois), Andrew Stover (Illinois-Chicago), and David Chan (Michigan).

The finalists are chosen by fellow student-athletes, college gymnastics coaches, and accredited collegiate judges. Gymnasts receiving the highest number of nominations are then placed on a final ballot and voted on once again by the same coaches, athletes, and judges.

The award presentation is held annually at the NCAA championships, which will be on April 16-17 in West Point, N.Y.

— by Nick Gans