Joanna Sampson (born December 4, 1992) is a former American artistic gymnast. She competed for the Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics team. Sampson was the first gymnast in Michigan program history to score a perfect 10.0 on floor exercise in any postseason competition in 2014.
Sampson trained at Ricochets Gymnastics Club in Hatboro, Pennsylvania. She is a two-time national champion (uneven bars in 2008 and all-around in 2010) and a five-time regional and state champion. In 2008 she was national uneven bars champion and runner-up in the all-around, and state vault and floor champion. In 2010, she was the national all-around champion and runner-up on uneven bars, taking third on beam and floor, and the state all-around, vault and bars champion. She was also a Junior Olympic National Team member and two-time Region 7 All-Star Team member.[1]
NCAA career
Sampson competed for the Michigan Wolverines women's gymnastics. As a freshman in 2011, at the Big Ten Championships, she scored a then career-best 9.925 on floor to take runner-up in the event.[3] She won her first collegiate title on vault with a score of 9.900 at the Ann Arbor Regional of the 2011 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship. She became Michigan's first gymnast to win the regional vault title since 2002.[4]
As a sophomore in 2012, at the 2012 Big Ten Championships, she scored 9.925 on vault to take runner-up in the event, and was named to the All-Big Ten Championships Team. She won the vault title for the second consecutive year with a score of 9.925 at the Auburn Regional of the 2012 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship.[5]
As a junior in 2013, she took first place in the all-around in eight of the team's 14 meets while winning or sharing 23 individual-event titles. Her scoring average in the all-around (39.434) was the third-highest for a single season in program history. She won the national championship on floor exercise with a score of 9.9375 at the 2013 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship.[6] She became the fourth gymnast in program history to win a national championship and the first gymnast in program history to win a national championship on floor exercise.[7][8] Following an outstanding season she was named a three-time NCAA All-American, NCAA Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year, University of Michigan's Female Athlete of the Year and Big Ten Women's Gymnast of the Year.[9][10][11]
As a senior in 2014, at the Big Ten Championships, she won the championship on uneven bars, and tied for first on floor exercise. She became the first women's gymnast in Big Ten Championships history to record a perfect 10.0 on floor exercise, and the first Michigan gymnast since Kylee Botterman in 2011 to post a perfect 10.0 on any event.[12] She was the national runner-up on floor exercise at the 2014 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championship.[13] Following an outstanding season, she was named a three-time NCAA All-American, NCAA Northeast Region Gymnast of the Year, University of Michigan's Female Athlete of the Year, and an AAI Award finalist.[14][15][16]
