NCAA WOTY23 Nominee and FBI Agent Spills Beans on College Gymnastics Career

The popularity of college athletes is on the rise, and several athletes have racked up a huge social media following owing to this increasing interest. While the biggest example is LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, several other names are making their mark. The latest on the list is the Fairmont State University gymnastics icon. She might be lesser known and just emerging as a stickler for routines on the mat, but she packs quite a wallop as an FBI operative too. There’s no need to be rattled though as she also put up quite a show as an exemplary gymnast. It’s the size of the fight in Barnes here that has made me the cynosure of all eyes.

The Colleen Cowdery Awardee was among the 30 nominees for the NCAA Woman of the Year of the last year. As the winner is officially declared, the acrobatics sensation shares her integrated adages from her collegiate career.

FSU college gymnastics icon shares learnings being a multipotentialite

Peyton Barnes was among the finalists for the 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year, among Texas Volleyball player Logan Eggleston and many more.Barnes has opened up about her learnings during her collegiate gymnastics sojourn. Besides being an Acrobatics and Tumbling athlete, she also majored in National Security Intelligence, political science, and criminal justice, which later prompted her to join as an analyst in the Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI).

As the top 30 honorees were celebrated yesterday at the NCAA Convention in Phoenix, Barnes thanked her time at the FSU for helping her become a leader. “My experience as a student-athlete has definitely helped me be a leader.”, Barnes revealed. Explaining herself, she added, “Just with all the things that you’re going through in your everyday life and having to come on the mat and still be a strong athlete but also a good human“.

The FBI program analyst, who is also working as an assistant to FSU coach Danielle Cutri, thanked him for believing in her all these years. With curtains drawn on her collegiate career, Barnes hailed the decision as one of her best ever. “One of the best decisions that I’ve made in my life”, she noted after ending her illustrious time at FSU.

Peyton Barnes draws the veneer on her gymnastics career

Besides majoring in several subjects, Peyton Barnes racked up several accolades during her time at FSU. Among her long list of gymnastic feats, achievements include 3x 450 salto toss, 3x Synchronized pyramid, and 2x 6 element acro Mountain East champion. During 2023, Barnes was named the Mountain East Specialist of the Year, NCATA Colleen Kausrud Leadership Awardee, and Fairmont State Jasper H. Colebank Awardee.

READ MORE: Unable to Handle the Cold, Olivia Dunne in “Literal Blizzard”

A testament to her leadership, Barnes also served as the president of of Student-Athlete Advisory Committee from 2020 to 2022 and president of the Black Student Union for three years. As she heads into her new career at the FBI, given her previous record, there’s no doubt she will excel.

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