Azaraya Ra-Akbar Named College Gym News Freshman of the Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Alabama gymnast Azaraya Ra-Akbar was named Freshman of the Year by College Gym News as part of its fifth annual end-of-season awards, the organization announced Monday.

The Baltimore, Md., native is coming off a freshman season in which she was named Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Year, while also earning All-SEC, SEC All-Freshman and regular-season All-America honors.

Members of the CGN staff nominated individuals in seven categories based on specified criteria before narrowing the field and voting on the winners.

College Gym News Freshman of the Year

Winners: Azaraya Ra-Akbar (Alabama) and Arianna Ostrum (Minnesota)
Nominees: Mackenzie Estep (Oklahoma), Tonya Paulsson (Cal), Sydney Seabrooks (North Carolina), Ashlee Sullivan (UCLA), Tiana Sumanasekera (UCLA), CaMarah Williams (Georgia)

Azaraya Ra-Akbar – CGN Freshman of the Year

SEC Co-Freshman of the Year
- First Alabama gymnast to earn the honor since Andreé Pickens in 1999
- Fourth UA gymnast overall to receive the recognition
Three-time regular-season All-American (vault, uneven bars, floor exercise)
All-SEC and All-Freshman honoree
Earned the second-most SEC weekly honors by a league freshman and was the only conference freshman to receive both Gymnast of the Week and Freshman of the Week honors in 2026
Only freshman in the nation to score a perfect 10.000 on the uneven bars – Alabama's first since 2023 and first by a UA freshman since 1999
Led all SEC freshman with 13 event titles, including six on bars, as she recorded seven scores of 9.950 or higher on the apparatus
Scored 9.900 or higher on all three events in her SEC Championships debut (9.900 VT, UB; 9.925 FX), marking the fifth time this season Ra-Akbar reached that mark in all three events in a single meet

University of Alabama Athletics