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Career Honors & Awards
- Junior National Team Member
- Big Ten Freshman of the Week (3/17/26)
- Big Ten All-Freshman Team Member (2026)
- CGA Rookie of the Week (3/18/26)
- Canadian Nationals Champion (2025: High Bar, Still Rings; 2024: All-Around, Floor, High Bar)
- 2023 Elite Canada Pommel Horse Champion
Academic Awards
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2025)
Career & Season Highs
|
|
FX |
PH |
SR |
V |
PB |
HB |
AA |
|
Career Best |
13.45 |
-- |
13.85 |
-- |
12.10 |
12.70 |
-- |
|
2026 |
13.45 |
-- |
13.85 |
-- |
12.10 |
12.70 |
-- |
Before Nebraska
Sam Rakita competed at the East York Gymnastics Club in Ontario, Canada, under Coach Slava Sytnik where he was the 2023 Canada Winter Games Champion with Team Ontario. Rakita was a Junior National Team Member, a 2024 National All-Around Champion, floor champion and high bar champion. He was also the 2023 Elite Canada pommel horse champion.
Rakita completed a year at York University in Toronto, Ontario where he studied kinesiology and health science.
Personal
Sam is the son of Eugene Rakita and Jeanne Lifshits and has two sisters, Michelle and Rebecca Lifshits. He plans to continue his major in nutrition and health sciences.