UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- This past Sunday, senior gymnast Ava Verdeflor was honored for Senior Day during the home finale tri-meet against Maryland and Ohio State.
Verdeflor, the lone Nittany Lion honored, was strong throughout her final season with Penn State earning career highs of 9.900 on bars, and 9.875 on beam. Additionally, Verdeflor was named nominee for the nation's most outstanding senior award, closing her career with a huge honor.
Coming all the way from Texas in 2018 to join the Nittany Lion gymnastics family, Verdeflor has made a huge impact on the team as both a gymnast and person, while making memories that she will forever hold close in her heart.
Some of her all-time favorite memories as a Penn State gymnast include simply just having the opportunity to compete with her team and watch everyone accomplish their goals.
"Having those really fun moments competing with my team and seeing any of us accomplish one of our goals is a huge deal," said Verdeflor. "It's a lot of fun being able to experience that with these girls."
"Last year January 31st I won my first Ann Carr award," Verdeflor said on her most memorable meet. "It was a pink meet and I had won the award after matching my career high on bars and beam. This past weekend I won the Ann Carr award again and I set a new career high on beam which is really exciting. I also came really close to my career high on bars."
Since her time at Penn State, Verdeflor has improved remarkably in terms of confidence, skill, and trust within her gymnastics.
"Coming in my freshman year I was recovering from my second ACL tear," she said. "Going into my freshman year of college, I hadn't competed for two years due to my injuries. I feel like freshman year I was very shaky on a lot of things, a lot of doubt, there wasn't much confidence there."
"Looking back freshman year compared to senior year I just feel a lot more confident and it definitely shows in my gymnastics too. There's definitely been a lot of improvement in my trust in my body as well as my trust in my knees and my confidence that I exude when I compete."
Verdeflor's senior year is remarkably different in comparison to other years due to the global pandemic and COVID protocals on campus.
"It's definitely different not being able to have a large crowd," she said. "One of the biggest things that I was looking forward to my senior year was my senior night and it's disappointing that we can't have the large crowd there for it."
Despite some of the challenges in this unique year, for Verdeflor, they may have brought the team closer.
"I think that to a point, the pandemic definitely brought our team closer," she said. "We are kind of forced into this idea that the only people we can really hangout with are the people on our team. It's a different year, but I feel it definitely has brought us all closer in many ways."
Looking back, Penn State gymnastics has shaped Verdeflor into a better person as she's grown tremendously during her time on campus.
"Being here at Penn State has helped me be more social. In the past, I liked to be very closed off and not talk to people. I've gotten more confident," said said on her journey. "My coaches and my team have helped me learn how to communicate better. I've definitely grown more open to asking for help and receiving help from others which is something I struggled with freshman year."
Verdeflor is thankful for her time at Penn State as she has been provided with the opportunity to grow as both a person and a gymnast. She is thankful for her coaches, teammates, athletic trainers, her family, the Penn State parents, and her overall support system she has had over the past four years.
With that support she is leaving Penn State gymnastics with a legacy of leadership, kindness, and empathy that will always be remembered and admired.