University of Michigan Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2015
Elise Ray is the most decorated female gymnast in Michigan history. She earned 14 All-America honors and shared the national all-around championship in 2001. She followed with national titles on the balance beam in 2002 and uneven bars in 2004. She led the team to the NCAA Super Six finals in 2005, when she was Big Ten co-Gymnast of the Year, and to four straight Big Ten titles. Prior to coming to Michigan as an English major, Ray was a captain of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team in Sydney, Australia, and was awarded a team bronze medal for the Games. The gymnastics "code of points" scoring system has three uneven bars maneuvers named in her honor, one with the highest difficulty possible, a "G" rating. She later joined Cirque Du Soleil in Las Vegas, performing for three years. She has served as a TV analyst for the Big Ten Network and currently is head coach at the University of Washington.
