North Carolina State University Athletics
PEELER: Freshmen Make Big Impact for Gymnastics
4/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
BY TIM PEELER
RALEIGH, N.C. NC State gymnastics coach Mark Stevenson knew this would be a year of transition for his traditionally strong program.
Having lost five seniors including Leigha Hancock, the most decorated gymnast in the history of Wolfpack gymnastics from last year’s team, Stevenson knew that his team was thin on upperclassmen. Throughout the season, only one senior, floor specialist Ashley Shepard, has been a regular in the lineup.
He also knew he would have to rely on his large recruiting class a total of eight newcomers to perform immediately.
But, the veteran coach knew, there are no guarantees that talented young gymnasts would make the transition from the highly individual world of club competition to the team-oriented world of college gymnastics.
Nor are there any guarantees that they can acclimate to the crowds that often attend meets, like the thousands who will show up this weekend when No. 29 NC State hosts the NCAA Southeast Regional at Reynolds Coliseum. The six-team field includes four-time defending NCAA champion and top-ranked Georgia, with No. 12 Penn St., No. 13 Nebraska, No. 21 West Virginia and No. 30 North Carolina round out the field. The top two teams and qualified individuals will advance to the NCAA Championships in Lincoln, Neb., April 16-18.
“We knew we might be in for a struggle this year, because college freshmen are not used to being in front of all those people,” Stevenson said. “Early on, they went through their growing pains. We lost some meets pretty handily early. They got thrown into the fire pretty quickly.
“But I think they have grown up. They didn’t have any choice.”
In particular, the Wolfpack has benefitted from performances by Brooke Barr, a newcomer from Harrisburg, Pa., and Jess Panza, a New York native who was her state’s top-ranked high school gymnast last year.
In addition, Stevenson’s squad has gotten contributions from newcomers Becca Teich of Weddington, N.C., and Anna Kronenfeld of Greensboro. Both added depth to the young lineup, and were key components in helping the team take home its fourth EAGL Championship two weekends ago.
Barr, Kronenfeld and Teich all competed in at least one event in every meet this season and Panza was a regular in the lineup when healthy.
“I know that we had a lot on our shoulders when we came in,” Panza said. “We replaced a lot of very good seniors. We had a lot of pressure, but I think we handled it. I think we have performed a lot better than many people expected.”
Barr was a consistent performer throughout the year, winning five of the 10 East Atlantic Gymnastics League Gymnast of the Week awards. She was a first-team All-EAGL selection in both the vault and on the floor, and first-team All-Tournament on the vault.
She attributes her success to gradually improving self-confidence.
“I have much more than when I was with my club,” said Barr, who competed for Artistic Sports Academy Plus in her hometown. “In club gymnastics, it is so individual. If you mess up, it is all on you. In college, you are competing for your team, your school and your coaches. There is a different kind of pressure and a different kind of support.
“Having that support has helped me with my confidence.”
Panza had a difficult transition to college gymnastics. She suffered through a bout with mononucleosis not long after arriving on campus. Then, while warming up for the second meet of the season, she suffered a high ankle sprain that kept her out of action for more than a month.
“It was the worst injury I have ever had in my life,” Panza said. “And it kept me out for a lot longer than I thought it would. I kind of felt like I had setback after setback after setback. It was very frustrating, because I had goals and it wasn’t easy to achieve them.”
Still, when she was healthy, Panza performed up to her own expectations. She was twice named EAGL Gymnast of the Week and was first-team All-EAGL on the beam and second-team on the vault.
At the EAGL Championships, she was a first-team selection on the beam and in the all-around, as well as second-team on the floor. She’s hoping that success carries over to Saturday’s competition.
“For myself, I expect to keep myself in the game and do even better than I did at EAGL,” Panza said. “I still have room to improve. I am hoping that nerves don’t’ get to me. As a team, we just need to stay consistent and keep our confidence high. It’s not about learning new skills anymore, it’s about staying consistent.
“We are definitely peaking at the right time.”
That was certainly the case at the EAGL championship, where the team missed on only one of its 24 routines. This weekend might be a bigger challenge, since the South Regional has No. 1 ranked Georgia, No. 12 Penn State and No. 13 Nebraska. Some might think it is a formidable challenge for such a young squad.
“I think we just need to go out and have fun, like we did at EAGL,” Barr said. “We had a blast and we did well. I want to go in with the same mindset that we can do well and place and give the other teams a run for the money.”
You may contact Tim Peeler at tim_peeler@ncsu.edu.
