- Arizona Daily Wildcat archives
Sad news out of the Phoenix area, as an obituary that ran in today’s Arizona Republic shows former Arizona gymnastics champion Heidi Hornbeek passed away over the weekend at age 36.
Hornbeek was a six-time All-American for the Wildcats between 1996 and 2000, winning the NCAA title in the floor exercise as a freshman. She won the AAI American Award in 2000 as the nation’s top senior gymnast, then went on to a successful career as a surgeon.
Hornbeek was inducted into the University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2007 her leotard was retired and hung in the rafters at McKale Center.
Her memorial service is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church in Phoenix.
This article appears in Dec 19-25, 2013.
Just noticed her name up in the rafters of McKale when at the NAU game. This is very sad news.
Any word on what happened to her?
We haven’t heard a cause of death, just lots of speculation. Can’t trust that info.
Such a loss for the gymnastics community and the world of medicine and the world in general. Very sad.
She was batteling depression..RIP my sweet friend Heidi❤️
The way she passed is not important. She passed away. That’s all that needs to be said. Celebrate the way she lived and always let her legacy live on.