Ashleigh Marie Gnat (born November 13, 1994) is a former American collegiate artistic gymnast and coach. She competed for the Louisiana State University (LSU) Tigers women's gymnastics team from 2014 to 2017, where she was a 17-time All-American, four-time SEC event champion, and the 2017 NCAA Floor Exercise champion.
Early Life and Family
Gnat was born on November 13, 1994, in Altamonte Springs, Florida, to Ray and Joan Gnat. Her father was an All-American gymnast for the now-defunct LSU men's gymnastics program. Her mother, Joan Moore Gnat, was a 1972 Olympian in gymnastics. Gnat has three older siblings, including a sister, Jeana Rice-Helms, who competed for the University of Alabama and was the 2004 NCAA all-around champion. Gnat began gymnastics in 1997, shortly after her parents opened ACE Gymnastics in Longwood, Florida.
Club Career
Gnat reached Level 9 in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic program at age 11. She qualified to the Nastia Liukin Cup three times (2010, 2012, 2013), a rare achievement. In her final club season (2013), she scored a perfect 10 on vault at the Lady Luck Invitational, was ranked No. 1 nationally on that event, and swept all five titles at Regionals. At her fifth and final J.O. Nationals, she placed second in the all-around and was the vault champion and co-floor champion, earning a spot on the USA Gymnastics J.O. national team.
College Career
Gnat verbally committed to LSU on January 9, 2012, and signed her National Letter of Intent on November 16, 2012. During her collegiate career, she earned nine perfect 10.0 scores across vault and floor exercise. She was a key contributor to LSU's NCAA team finishes, including a team silver medal in 2016 and 2017, and a team bronze in 2014. Individually, she won the NCAA Floor Exercise title in 2017 and earned bronze medals on vault (2016) and balance beam (2017).
Career Perfect 10.0 Scores
| Season | Date | Event | Meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Jan 22, 2016 | Vault | LSU vs. Kentucky |
| 2016 | Jan 30, 2016 | Vault | Metroplex Challenge |
| 2016 | Feb 19, 2016 | Floor | LSU vs. Auburn |
| 2016 | Mar 4, 2016 | Floor | LSU vs. Alabama |
| 2016 | Mar 12, 2016 | Floor | LSU @ Texas Woman's |
| 2016 | Mar 19, 2016 | Floor | SEC Championship |
| 2017 | Jan 13, 2017 | Vault | LSU @ Alabama |
| 2017 | Mar 5, 2017 | Vault | LSU vs. Florida |
| 2017 | Mar 18, 2017 | Vault | SEC Championship |
Coaching Career
After graduating, Gnat served as an assistant coach at Penn State University in 2020, working primarily with the floor lineup. She then returned to LSU as an assistant coach for the gymnastics team, where she remained for five seasons. In 2024, Gnat announced her departure from coaching to focus on her personal life and future endeavors outside the sport.
Personal Life
Gnat graduated from Lake Mary High School in 2013 and studied sports administration at Louisiana State University. Her nickname is "Bugs."
