It was pretty much a formality. Courtney Kupets has won the 2009 Honda Award as the nation’s top collegiate gymnast. She was a finalist for the award as a freshman, won it as a sophomore, and was on her way to repeating last year before a season-ending injury. Teammate Katie Heenan kept the award at Georgia in 2008. Kupets joins Kim Arnold as Georgia’s only multiple Honda Award winners.

This award cements her place at the top of collegiate gymnastics, and she’s now eligible to be considered for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year Award given later this spring. She’s deserving of that award as well; she’s already the most accomplished collegiate gymnast ever, and the case can be made for her place in the discussion of the best college athletes in any sport.

Photo: UGA Sports Communications