University Park, Pa.- As the music began to play through the speakers at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois in the spring of 2018, then Penn State junior Peyton Schuller started her floor routine.
Schuller had competed on floor and been successful in the event for Penn State prior to this meet but this time around the stakes were higher.
Schuller and Penn State were competing at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and were on a roll, as each athlete who competed on floor scored a 9.800 or higher. When it was Schuller's turn on floor she continued Penn State's hot streak and tied her career best score with a 9.850 to help Penn State earn a 49.400 overall in the event at the Big Ten Championships.
Although Schuller competed on a big stage like the Big Ten Championships, she treated it like every other meet.
"Really any time competing is just so much fun because you've been practicing basically the whole year just for those moments," Schuller said. "For me all the meets were just the same like having fun, going out and performing and showing off what you've been practicing."
Following the end of the 2018 season, where Schuller competed at the NCAA Regionals at Rec Hall on floor for Penn State and led the team with a 9.800 in the event, she started discussing her future plans with Penn State head coach Sarah Brown.
Throughout the summer and early fall of 2018 Schuller and Brown talked about Schuller's goals and what she was looking to get out of the 2019 season as a senior.
Schuller loves gymnastics but was growing away from the sport entering her senior year. Nearing the end of her time in Happy Valley, she wanted to focus more on school work and what she was going to do after graduation. However, Schuller still wanted to be a part of the team, so she decided to become a team manager.
"The girls on the team are my sisters, I've been competing with them for three years so I can still be a part of the team but not necessarily have as much responsibility," Schuller said.
Once Schuller made her decision, Brown was supportive of Schuller and allowed her to join the staff.
"She's always been a great athlete and a good team member and I felt like keeping her on board with this group of seniors was really helpful because they came in and they've been strong and banded together," Brown said.
Since Schuller competed just last year for Penn State, many of the athletes on this year's team are her former teammates, which allows her to connect with them personally if they need help or need someone to talk to. Yet, Schuller's new role on the team also gives her a different viewpoint.
"The dynamic is actually a lot different because at some points it's almost like I'm more on the coaching side of things just because I'm not practicing," Schuller said. "But I've been on the team so I know where the girls are coming from."
Schuller attends most of Penn State's practices, as long as her class schedule allows her too, and every Penn State meet. As a team manager Schuller plays the music for Penn State's floor routines, moves mats during certain events, and sets up and removes the spring boards that the athletes mount off of on bars at meets.
Schuller has a calm aura at meets and if she notices that one of Penn State's athletes is struggling she'll go talk to them. Furthermore, she is approachable during meets, which allows the gymnasts on the team to seek her out for help.
While Schuller's personality was present as she competed for Penn State for three years, more of her personality is being unveiled now as a team manager where she has become more vocal.
"What I think is great about Peyton is that she has the ability to relate to the athletes because she remembers very vividly what it was like," Brown said. "So it gives her an opportunity to share with the staff what she sees but also share with the team what the staff expects."
In her final college semester Schuller is still balancing academics and athletics. She is currently taking two biology classes, one philosophy class and an online nursing class while serving as Penn State's team manager. Schuller has been applying to nursing school and recently decided to attend Penn State Altoona in the fall for an accelerated nursing program to get a nursing degree.
"When we started talking about her maybe not doing gymnastics her senior year I knew right away that she'd be a good influence on our team because of the way that she's handled herself her first three years," Brown said.
Schuller is set to graduate in May but before then she will continue to help in any way she can, offering insight to both athletes and coaches in her new role.
