- Second-Team All-American (1995)
- First-Team Academic All-American (1996)
- Second-Team Academic All-American (1995)
- First-Team Phillips 66 Academic All-Big Eight (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
- Academic All Big-Eight (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
- All-Big Eight (1994: V, BB, AA; 1995: V; 1996
- 1995 Second-Team GTE Academic All-American
All-American Joy Taylor was a letterwinner for the Huskers from 1993-96. Taylor, the 1996 Academic All-American Gymnast of the Year, graduated with a 4.0 GPA in biological sciences in 1996. A two-time academic selection, she was the first Husker female gymnast to earn both athletic and academic All-America honors in the same season (1995).
As a senior: The 1996 Academic All-American Gymnast-of-the-Year, Joy Taylor graduated with a 4.0 grade point average in biological sciences. She was a member of the Big Eight Conference Academic Honor Roll and Academic All-Big Eight in each of her four years at Nebraska.
Taylor closed her athletic career at NU with a bang as she was the Big Eight Champion on vault, beam and in the all-around in 1996. She also earned All-Big Eight honors in her senior year. Taylor hit a career-best 39.375 in the all-around at the Big Eight Championships, a mark that was also the school and conference record at the time. She was recognized with two Big Eight Gymnast-of-the-Month honors in February and March. Along with teammate Shelly Bartlett, she was the only Husker gymnast to compete in every event in 1996.
As a junior: Taylor added second-team All-America honors to her list of accomplishments in 1995 with a 9.80 on bars at the NCAA Championships. With her recognition as a second-team academic All-American, Taylor became the first Husker female gymnast to earn both athletic and academic All-America honors in the same season. She also tallied academic All-Phillips 66 Big Eight honors for the third straight year and All-Big Eight honors on vault.
She competed in every event for the Huskers last year, establishing a 38.225 average in the all-around. She won seven event titles and recorded a personal best in all five events, 9.875 (V), 9.85 (UB), 9.80 (BB), 9.825 (FX) and 39.075 (AA).
As a sophomore: Taylor had an incredible sophomore season, during which she established three personal bests and won numerous all-around titles. She set a then-career high 9.825 on bars against Oklahoma and was one of three Huskers to compete in the all-around at every meet. Taylor set a season high for the all-around (38.70) against Ohio State. She capped the year with a stellar outing at the Big Eight Conference Championships, where she was named All-Big Eight in the vault, beam and all-around. Taylor also repeated as a member of the Phillips 66 Academic Honor Roll and academic All-Phillips 66 Big Eight.
As a freshman: Taylor competed in the all-around on eight occasions and finished the season with an impressive 37.95 average. Her season highs included personal bests of 9.75 on vault, 9.80 on bars, 9.75 on beam and 9.80 on floor. She carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average and earned a spot on the Big Eight Conference Academic Honor Roll, as well as notching academic All-Phillips 66 Big Eight accolades.
Prior: Taylor began her gymnastics career at Gym-Nest, where she was coached by Byron and Teresa Holden. She was a two-time U.S.G.F. Region V vault champion (1990,1992) as well as a two-time Level 10 Indiana all-around champion. Taylor qualified for the Level 10 nationals from 1989-1992.
Personal: Joy is the daughter of Tim and Linda Taylor. She was born in Indianapolis, Ind. on July 18,1974. Taylor has one brother, Derek. She is a biological sciences major.
Taylor's Career/Season Highs at Nebraska
Career Highs
Vault: 9.90 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Bars: 9.85 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Beam: 9.85 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Floor: 9.85 (Midwest Regional, 4/13/96)
All-Around: 39.375 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
1996 Season Highs
Vault: 9.90 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Bars: 9.85 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Beam: 9.85 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
Floor: 9.85 (Midwest Regional, 4/13/96)
All-Around: 39.375 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/30/96)
1995 Season Highs
Vault: 9.875 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/25/95)
Bars: 9.85 (at Ohio State, 3/4/95)
Beam: 9.80 (at N.C. State, 2/10/95)
Floor: 9.825 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/25/95)
All-Around: 39.075 (1995 Midwest Regional, 4/8/95)
1994 Season Highs
Vault: 9.775 (at Iowa State, 3/19/94)
Bars: 9.825 (at Oklahoma, 2/19/94)
Beam: 9.75 (vs. Illinois, 1/15/94)
Floor: 9.70 (vs. Ohio State, 3/13/94)
All-Around: 38.60 (Big Eight Championships, 3/26/94)
1993 Season Highs
Vault: 9.75 (at Auburn, 1/22/93)
Bars: 9.80 (at Washington, 1/22/93)
Beam: 9.75 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/20/93)
Floor: 9.80 (vs. Iowa State, 3/14/93)
All-Around: 38.795 (at Big Eight Championships, 3/20/93)