WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The William & Mary men's gymnastics team continued to build upon its long tradition of academic excellence, as three exceptional seniors earned prestigious awards at Commencement last weekend.
 
The impressive group of standout student-athletes honored included David Allen (Mathematics), Peter Makey (English) and Jacopo Gliozzi (Physics), as all three garnered the highest awards bestowed upon graduates by the academic departments in their respective area of study.
 
Jacopo Gliozzi
• Don Edward Harrison Jr. Award for Excellence in Physics (awarded to the most outstanding Physics student)
• Cissy Patterson Award for Mathematics (awarded for the highest achievement in mathematics classes)
• Thomas Jefferson Award in Natural Philosophy (recognizes excellence in the sciences and mathematics by an undergraduate)
• Ewell Award (awarded for outstanding contribution and leadership on campus and in the community)
 
Peter Makey
• Lang Legacy Scholarship (awarded to a distinguished English student)
• Gerald L. Tuttle, Jr. Scholarship (awarded to an outstanding government major who also has strong interests in English)
• Ewell Award (awarded for outstanding contribution and leadership on campus and in the community)
 
David Allen
• William & Mary Prize in Mathematics (awarded to the senior with the best performance in mathematics in his/her undergraduate studies)
 
The honors bestowed at Commencement are illustrative of the program's tradition of academic achievement, as W&M earned its ninth College Gymnastics Association National Academic team title in 2018 after posting a combined grade point average of 3.531. In addition to claiming four of the last five team titles, the Tribe's impressive overall total is more than any other program since the inception of the award in 1991.

The individual academic accolades also added to a long list of honors accumulated by the trio, both in the gym and the classroom, during the last four years.
 
One of the nation's top gymnasts, Gliozzi was selected as a finalist for the 2019 College Gymnastics Association Nissen-Emery Award. The honor is considered the Heisman Trophy of Gymnastics.
 
Additionally, he was selected as the 2019 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Senior Athlete of the Year and the 2019 ECAC Co-Senior Gymnast of the Year.
 
Gliozzi emerged on the national stage as a sophomore when he earned NCAA All-America honors on pommel horse after a sixth-place finish.
 
This fall, he competed on the international stage at the 2018 Turnier Der Meister World Cup in Cottbus, Germany as a member of the Italian team and placed 10th on pommel horse in the qualifying round. The impressive performance at the FIG (International Gymnastics Federation) World Cup event earned him points toward qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
 
W&M's record holder on pommel horse, the Fairfax, Va., native is also a three-time USA Gymnastics Collegiate All-American in the event and won a pair of ECAC titles.
 
Elected as one of the Tribe's team captains this season, Gliozzi also distinguished himself in the classroom and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. Additionally, he was honored as a College Gymnastics Association Academic First-Team All-American Scholar-Athlete three times, a CoSIDA Academic All-American twice, a W&M Monroe Scholar and is a four-time Provost Award winner.
 
Makey also distinguished himself as an elite gymnast and scholar throughout his career. In addition to garnering USA Gymnastics Collegiate All-America honors on rings three times, he won the national title in the event in 2018. Additionally, he won the ECAC rings title in 2017.
 
A three-time College Gymnastics Association first-team Academic All-American Scholar-Athlete, Makey was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Society this fall.
 
Chosen as the featured student-athlete speaker at the 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships Banquet and Awards Ceremony, he also served as the Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) President in 2018-19 after being a Service Chair last year.
 
Allen, a team captain, is a three-time USA Gymnastics Collegiate All-American on high bar and earned All-ECAC accolades in the event twice. Additionally, he earned USAG Collegiate All-America honors in All-Around as a sophomore.
 
Allen's academic honors include being selected as a College Gymnastics Association first-team Academic All-American Scholar-Athlete three times.