Feb. 27, 2015
By Gabby Richards, GoPSUsports Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Recovery: the universal term for getting better after an injury. Most athletes us their recovery periods to get stronger, go to physical therapy, and rest. Senior Lexi Carroll took a different approach: she used her recovery period as motivation.
The Penn State gymnast injured her Achilles tendon during her junior campaign. With this injury, her season was cut short and with a strong freshman class coming in, Carroll knew that her recovery would need to be efficient; she would need to come back a stronger, better gymnast in order to make it into the lineup.
"When I think back on my time at Penn State, last year was a really rewarding experience," Carroll said. "Being able to host the regional tournament and watch my teammates compete, even though I couldn't was exciting. I got to watch our team make it to the Top 12."
Carroll comes from a rather athletic family, a big family, too. She is the oldest of six children, coming into a "leadership" and "big sister" role early. Her brother, is a freshman at Virginia Tech where he plays football and her sister has already verbally committed to play college lacrosse, despite being a sophomore in high school.
"Being a big sister has made being a big sister to my teammates easier," Carroll said. "I have always had to be a role model, whether I wanted to be or not. I like to lead my example, get in the gym and do my job."
This years' team is unique, with several freshman making major contributions to the team's performance, getting into the lineup is competitive.
"Lexi is our seven," head coach Jeff Thompson said, when talking about the six gymnast rotation. "She makes the team better. When you have seven solid gymnasts competing against each other for spots, they just keep getting better. That system of pushing one another is what has made this team so great."
With championship season quickly approaching, the team is gearing up for what has the potential to be a rather successful post season. While things change, week in and week out, Carroll is confident that this team will make its mark.
"We haven't reached our full potential yet," Carroll said. "We are having a really great season, the best is yet to come."
What she will miss most about gymnastics... "What's funny about gymnastics is it isn't a sport that you can just do outside of a gym," Carroll said. "I can't just go to a court and have a `pickup game' of gymnastics. When you are don't competing, you are done competing."
What she will miss most about being a Nittany Lion... "This team is my family," Carroll said. "It will be a hard thing to leave behind. But, I have learned a lot. Collegiate athletics prepares you for life outside of competing or playing in a game; we learn time management, being held accountable, leadership, things you need in any career path."
The Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall on Saturday for Senior Day at 4 p.m. to face off against Iowa, SUNY Brockport and Penn.