Amy L. (Bright) Allen ’00 was a two-time National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-American during her Rhode Island College women’s gymnastics career from 1995-99. As a senior in 1998-99, she was a team captain and was one of two RIC gymnasts who qualified for the 1999 NCGA Championships. Allen was an all-around qualifier from the East Region. Allen had an outstanding meet at the NCGAs. The Hackensack, N.J. native placed ninth in all-around competition with a score of 35.675, making her an All-American for the second consecutive year. Allen is one of only three RIC gymnasts who have been named an All-American multiple times. At the NCGAs, she tied for 46th in the country on vault (8.425), tied for 17th on bars (8.800), 14th on beam (9.200) and tied for 24th place on floor (9.250).
For the season, Allen averaged scores of 8.742 on vault, 8.988 on bars, 8.719 on beam, 9.144 on floor and 35.952 in all-around competition. Allen led the team on bars, floor and all-around on the year. She tied for fourth place on bars (9.250) at the ECAC Championships on Mar. 7. She was eighth on floor (9.325) and sixth in the all-around (36.575) at the ECACs.
She set a new RIC record with a career-high score (9.325) on bars against Springfield on Feb. 7. She also posted season-high scores on vault (9.100), floor (9.475) and in the all-around (36.725) at the same meet. At that time, her all-around point total was the second highest total for a single meet in school history. At the conclusion of her career, Allen held seven of the all-time top 10 all-around point totals in RIC women’s gymnastics history. Bright’s career-high score of 9.375 on beam, set against Bridgeport on Feb. 20, was the third highest score in school history in that event at that time.
Her career-high mark on vault was a 9.150 score set as a sophomore in 1996-97.
As a junior in 1997-98, Allen was named an All-American in all-around competition, placing seventh with a 35.975 total score at the NCGAs, hosted by RIC. She scored 8.950 on vault, 8.850 on bars, 8.950 on the beam and 9.225 on floor at the meet.
She is a 2000 graduate of Rhode Island College with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education-English. Allen is a 1995 graduate of Hackensack High School.
She went on to earn a master’s degree in special education from East Stroudsburg University in 2001 and another master’s in educational leadership from the College of Saint Elizabeth in 2005.
Allen is currently an eighth grade special education teacher at Tewksbury Middle School (NJ).
She resides in Washington, N.J. with her husband Brian and their two children, Jake (2) and Addison (11 mo.).
