Honors & Awards
- Second-Team All-American (2018: BB, FX)
- Big Ten Co-Champion (2016: BB, 2018: BB)
- First-Team All-Big Ten (2016, 2018)
- Big Ten All-Championships Team (2016: UB, BB, 2018: V, BB, FX)
- Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week (2/5/18)
- Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2018)
- Academic All-Big Ten (2016, 2017, 2018)
- Tom Osborne Citizenship Team (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
- NCAA Iowa City Regional Co-Champion (2016: BB)
- Big Ten Freshman of the Week (2/23/15, 3/2/15)
- Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll (Fall 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018; Spring 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
2018 (Senior)
In her final season as a Husker, Grace Williams was a consistent competitor on vault, beam and floor all season. Williams was a second-team All-American on balance beam and floor to capture the first All-America awards of her career.
A first-team All-Big Ten selection, she claimed five individual event titles as a senior, as well as being named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week on Feb. 5 for her beam work against Minnesota. She was the Big Ten Conference co-champion on balance beam to earn a spot on the Big Ten All-Championships Team.Â
Williams has also been honored for her exemplary work in the classroom. She was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2018, after being named Academic All-Big Ten for the third consecutive season. She was also a Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll selection seven times in her career, as well as a four-time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team member.Â
2017 (Junior)
After a strong sophomore season as an all-around performer, Williams took a new role in 2017 for the Huskers as a three event specialist. Williams helped lead the Huskers to a seventh-place national finish with her performances on vault and balance beam, while being an important member of the floor lineup for most of the season.
Williams tied her career high with a 9.95 on beam at the B1G Five meet, giving her the event title and helping the Huskers clinch the Big Ten regular season title. She also captured a beam title against Iowa with a score of 9.875. Her 9.90 on beam at the NCAA Lincoln Regional helped NU advance to the NCAA Championships for a fourth-consecutive season.
She also saw action on the floor exercise in eight of NU's 12 meets, posting a season-high of 9.875 at the GymQuarters Invitational. Williams vaulted in three of Nebraska's final four meets, with a top score of 9.825 at the NCAA Lincoln Regional.
Williams continued her success outside of the gym by receiving Academic All-Big Ten honors for the second time. She was also named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the fall and spring semesters of 2016-17. She was also a member of the 2017 Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for her work in the community.
2016 (Sophomore)
After an outstanding freshman campaign, Williams solidified her spot as one of Nebraska's top all-around competitors as a sophomore. She earned eight beam titles throughout the 2016 season and achieved career highs on three events and in the all-around.
Williams was named first-team All-Big Ten and earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Championships Team on uneven bars and balance beam. She was the Big Ten beam co-champion and the co-champion on beam at the NCAA Iowa City Regional to help the Huskers to their 24th NCAA Championships appearance.
Williams hit 49 of 53 routines and earned 13 total event titles, reaching career-high scores on uneven bars and floor exercise with scores of 9.925. She also scored a near-perfect 9.95 balance beam routine to help the Huskers to an upset of third-ranked Michigan, becoming the first Husker to hit a 9.95 or better on beam since 2014. She also earned a career-high all-around score against Michigan, hitting a 39.500.
A standout in the classroom, Williams earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2016 and claimed a spot on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in the spring. Williams was also named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team for her work in the community.
2015 (Freshman)Â
Williams began her Husker career with a splash as one of Nebraska's steady trio of all-around performers. As a freshman, she captured four event titles with two coming on beam. She was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks after stellar all-around performances late in the season.
One of NU's most consistent beam workers, Williams competed on the event in all but one meet in 2015. She picked up her season-high 9.925 on beam against Penn State to capture the first event title of her career. The Linden, Mich., native notched a season-best 9.90 on floor at the Rutgers quadrangular, while also tallying a 9.90 on bars at the Masters Classic.
In the latter half of the regular season, Williams proved herself as a strong all-around competitor, posting a solid 39.375 at the Masters Classic. Her career-best 9.90 on vault came at the B1G Five meet. In the postseason, Williams demonstrated her consistency in the all-around, earning a spot on the bars podium at the NCAA Ames Regional after tying for third with a 9.85.
She got off to a great start in the classroom, earning spots on the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll in both the fall and spring semesters of her freshman season. She was also named to the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team in 2015.
Before Nebraska
Williams trained under coaches John and Kathryn Geddert at Twistars USA for five years. A Level 10 gymnast, Williams was a three-time J.O. National Championships qualifier with three all-around crowns to her name. She had an amazing showing at the 2014 J.O. National Championships as she finished first on bars in addition to top-10 finishes on vault, beam and floor, rounding out her third all-around national title. In 2011, Williams took home the Nastia Liukin Supergirl Cup after finishing first on beam and floor.
Personal
The daughter of Rob and Amy Williams, Grace was born on March 26, 1996 in Adrian, Mich. She has two brothers, Jordan and Cameron. Williams graduated from Brighton High school in 2014 and was a four-time letterwinner in academics. She earned her bachelor's degree as an elementary education and special education major at Nebraska in December of 2018. She was an eight-time member of the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll. Williams was named Academic All-Big Ten in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and was named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2018. She is a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.Â
Williams' Career Highs at Nebraska
- Vault: 9.90 (at B1G Five, 3/14/15)
- Bars: 9.925 (vs. Utah State, 3/6/16)
- Beam: 9.95 (Two times, last at B1G Five, 3/11/17)
- Floor: 9.925 (at Iowa, 2/6/16)
- All-Around: 39.500 (vs. Michigan, 1/29/16)
2018 Season Highs
- Vault: 9.825 ( Two times, last at Masters Classi, 3/4/18)
- Beam: 9.925 (Two times, last at Oklahoma 2/16/18)
- Floor: 9.875 (Five times, last at Masters Classic 3/4/18)
2017 Season Highs
- Vault: 9.825 (at NCAA Lincoln Regional, 4/1)
- Beam: 9.95 (at B1G Five, 3/11)
- Floor: 9.875Â (at GymQuarters Invitational, 2/17)
2016 Season Highs
- Vault:Â 9.85 (vs. Rutgers, 1/23/16)
- Bars: 9.925 (vs. Utah State, 3/6/16)
- Beam: 9.95 (vs. Michigan, 1/29/16)
- Floor: 9.925 (at Iowa, 2/6/16)
- All-Around: 39.500 (vs. Michigan, 1/29/16)
2015 Season Highs
- Vault:Â 9.90 (at B1G Five, 3/14/15)
- Bars: 9.90Â (at Masters Classic, 3/1/15)
- Beam: 9.925 (vs. Penn State, 1/17/15)
- Floor: 9.90 (at Rutgers, 1/24/15)
- All-Around: 39.375 (at Masters Classic, 3/1/15)