Richard Named 2026 Nissen-Emery Award Winner
4/16/2026 9:19:00 PM | Men's Gymnastics
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Fred Richard of the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan men's gymnastics team has been named the 2026 Nissen-Emery Award winner, as announced by the College Gymnastics Association on Thursday night (April 16).
The Nissen-Emery Award honors the collegiate senior male gymnast who has not only established an outstanding record of achievement during his college career but also an athlete who has demonstrated good sportsmanship, fair play and a high standard of athletic excellence.
Richard is the fourth Wolverine to earn the award, joining Paul Juda (2023), Sam Mikulak (2014) and Justin Toman (2002).
The 2026 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, Richard earned his fourth Big Ten All-Around individual title to make him just the second gymnast in conference history to do so (John Roethlisberger of Minnesota, 1990-93). Richard was also named Gymnast of the Championships for the fourth straight year.
Richard is the 2025 NCAA all-around champion, his second national championship in the event and fourth individual title of his career. He earned All-America honors in the all-around and all six events, marking the first time in NCAA history a men's gymnast has earned seven All-America citations in a single season and has tallied 14 career All-America honors.
Leading Michigan to its seventh NCAA championship in program history and fifth straight Big Ten championship, Richard was named to the All-Big Ten first team and Big Ten Gymnast of the Championships for the third straight season. He was crowned Big Ten all-around champion for the third straight year, the first Wolverine to win three straight since Rick McCurdy from 1969-71.
At the 2026 USA Gymnastics Winter Cup, Richard claimed the all-around title after finishing second in 2025. The Stoughton, Mass., native earned four additional medals, capturing the floor exercise title (14.355) and taking bronze on pommel horse (13.952), still rings (13.800) and high bar (13.850).
A member of the USA Gymnastics National Senior Team, he earned a runner-up finish in the all-around at the 2024 U.S. Championships (170.250). He won the floor exercise title (29.500), took sixth on still rings (28.300) and was second on high bar (28.800). Richard also represented Team USA at the 2024 Olympics, helping lead the team to a bronze medal for the first time since 2008 and finishing 15th in the all-around finals.
The Maize and Blue is at the end of its 2026 slate, earning its sixth straight Big Ten Championship title on April 4, and will look to defend its 2025 NCAA Championship title on Friday and Saturday (April 17-18) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
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