North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State Gymnastics: A Recap of the 2015 Season
5/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Head Coach Mark Stevenson and gymnasts Chelsea Knight, Brittni Watkins and Michaela Woodford recap the 2015 season
RALEIGH, N.C.- Having lost seven seniors who competed in a majority of the meets the previous year, the NC State gymnastics team knew it was going to have a challenging 2015 season.
Although it struggled early in the year, the team placed fifth at the NCAA Regional Championship and sent two individuals, juniors Brittni Watkins and Michaela Woodford, to the NCAA Championship.
"It was a slow start, but at the end of the season they all came together and I thought they did an extremely nice job at the last four or five competitions," said head coach Mark Stevenson. "It allowed us to move on to the regional championship where we had the best meet of the year, and were able to finish in the top 25 as well as send two kids to nationals."
Although the season started off slower than expected, Stevenson said at the end of the season he was, "extremely pleased with development, progress and commitment from the girls."
Freshman Chelsea Knight said their success in the second half of the season was because the team knew what it needed to do and fought to accomplish its goals.
"We started off struggling a little," Knight said. "As the season went on though, we progressed and we ended up 25th in the nation which was impressive. I think the reason we were able to accomplish what we set out to do was because lot of people stepped up to the plate and did what they needed to do."
Incorporating both a team and an individual aspect is what drove the Pack to success this season.
"It is really important for those individuals who are first up to set the tone, and once that tone is set it is so easy to just continue doing well and move it to each event," Watkins said.
"I also think it is really important to have your team with you. It's not 100 percent individual work- you can win as much as you want but it kind of stinks if your team doesn't. You really want your team there to support you and have your back."
Woodford said the team's support is what made a difference and helped to get through the loss of the seven gymnasts.
"We started off not where we thought we should be, but then we got better and what helped was that our team was really close this year outside of practice and competition," Woodford said.
She added that although gymnastics is an individual sport, knowing that the team was behind her made her strive to do better.
"Essentially you are doing it by yourself, and your team can't really help you while you are up there. You just have to know that your team believes in you, and knowing that your team does helps a lot," Woodford said.
"I'm happier when my team does well than when I'm doing well. If I fall, I'm not thinking to myself, `Wow, I fell. This sucks for me.' I think, `Oh no, this sucks for my team.'"
Knight added that all the goals the squad has are only possible with a team, so it helped her to remain focused throughout the season.
"It's harder to progress and go to regionals or nationals by yourself. The main focus for me this season was to hit my routines and do my job, not just for myself but for my whole team," Knight said,
"I believe that if everybody does their job and does what they're supposed to do, combined with support from your teammates, then you will do well as a team."
Knight, Watkins and Woodford agree that this team aspect will carry the team to next season, especially since Watkins and Woodford can bring hype back to the gym from their performance at the NCAA Championship to prepare for a team trip to nationals next season.
"We can come back to the gym now and put our emotions out there and say, `It was an incredible experience,'" Watkins said. "Our experience at nationals was unbelievable, and hopefully next year we can advance as a team."
Stevenson acknowledges this experience will provide motivation for the next season.
"It will help because they will come back, talk to our team and try to get the kids that we need to step up so that our entire team can go," Stevenson said.
The squad has high hopes for the 2016 season, especially because the majority of the gymnasts will all have at least one year under their belts.
"Everyone that is going to be competing is going to have had experience, and that was very different this year. Half of our team didn't experience at the collegiate level, so it was a brand new thing," Woodford said.
"Next year, we are all going to have had plenty of experience which will help a lot. Going to nationals I know that Brittni and I both picked up a bunch of things, and being a senior next year I believe the advice we have to offer will be able to help our team."
Story by GoPack Writer Liz Moomey
 
 
Players Mentioned
