WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Sept. 22, 2016)—William & Mary men's gymnastics head coach Cliff Gauthier has announced that seniors Rob Meyer, Aria Sabbagh and Nick Van Dyke have been elected as captains for the 2017 season.

All three gymnasts have established themselves as tremendous leaders and competitors both in and out of the gym throughout their collegiate careers. Below are comments from Gauthier on their selection as captains.

Rob Meyer
"Rob's hard work and attention to detail culminated in his earning the gold medal and title of national champion on the parallel bars in last year's USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships. In the process, Rob also moved into fourth place in the all-time William & Mary record books on the parallel bars…Rob has always been a leader by example and was elected by his teammates to serve as one of our team's captains for this season…He also continues to excel in the classroom having earned multiple first team Academic All-American Scholar-Athlete honors from the College Gymnastics Association as well as USA Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete accolades. Rob's major is government and he is leaning toward a possible future in public policy or with the FBI after a stimulating internship in the Civil Division of the U. S. Attorney's Office in Knoxville this past summer…In addition to earning All-ECAC and ECAC Coaches Choice honors during the past two seasons, Rob was the recipient of the first ever Captain America team award for his dedication to not only gymnastics but also to making the world a better place… By always stepping up with consistent routines in pressure packed situations on pommel horse, rings and parallel bars, Rob finished in our top five in team points scored for the second season in a row …In Junior Olympic competition he was coached by Vladimir and Elena Koloskov at Tataru's Gymnastics before coming to William & Mary…Rob is the son of Bill and Cindy Meyer."
 
Aria Sabbagh
"Aria is the complete package when it comes to being a student-athlete and leader. For the second year in a row he not only received USA Gymnastics Collegiate All-American designation in the all-around but also finished the season as our team's top point scorer.  For three straight years, Aria has earned first team Academic All-American Scholar-Athlete honors from the College Gymnastics Association as well as Provost Award designation for academic excellence at William & Mary. He has also been elected by his teammates to serve as one of our team captains as well as by his peers to serve as the student-athlete representative on the USA Gymnastics Men's Collegiate Gymnastics Committee. Additionally, he is a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee at William & Mary…Over the past two summers, Aria has been involved in breast cancer research first in the University of Kansas Cancer Center's student summer research training program and then in Houston through the Baylor College of Medicine's summer medical and research training program. At the end of both summers, he presented his research to the physicians and scientists at each university…Aria also has a knack for analyzing and communicating technical aspects of gymnastics to his teammates which boosts everybody's progress in the gym and solidifies his position as a consummate teammate. He currently ranks sixth in our all-time record books in the all-around, eighth on high bar, and tenth on vaulting… Aria was coached by Michael Thomas and Jeremy Bourdette at Emerald City Gymnastics…He is a first generation Iranian-American majoring in neuroscience with plans to go on to medical school…Aria's parents are Fariba Behbod and Behrooz Sabbagh."
 
Nick Van Dyke
"Entering his final season for William & Mary gymnastics, hard work and dedication has propelled Nick into being elected one of our team's captains as well as becoming one of our top gymnasts on both rings where he currently ranks fourth in our all-time records and vaulting where he currently ranks third. As a result of his stellar progress over the years, Nick received the coveted "Most Improved Gymnast Award" at last season's ECAC Conference Championship. He has also shown remarkable academic development as evidenced by his receiving second team Academic All- American honors from the College Gymnastics Association. Nick is looking forward to global applications of his studies in economics and finance…In addition to excelling in the gym and in the classroom, he has become a very positive presence in the community through his volunteer work with Circle K, Active Minds, Ruritan, Tribe-thon, College Partnership for Kids, and the Campus Kitchen. He has also been very active in our team projects which include volunteering to teach gymnastics in a community kids program, sponsoring a National Eating Disorders Association walk for Williamsburg, and collecting more than 3,000 pounds of canned goods and blankets for a local food pantry…Nick's dedication to strength development has not only resulted in a complete body transformation but also in his earning All-ECAC honors for his powerful handspring double front vault as well as for a rings routine packed with strength combinations held with excellent position…Nick is one of those individuals who has an unique ability to bring an energizing presence to every situation….In Junior Olympic competition, his coaches were Dmitry Gavriluk and Oleg Bezrodniy at Top Flight Gymnastics…His parents are Bob Van Dyke and Karin DeFrancis."