Prepping for nationals: Liberty gymnastics defeats JMU as it braces for NAIGC National meet
A successful home win against the JMU Dukes led into an off week for Liberty University’s gymnastics team before the NAIGC Nationals in Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 10-13. As the Lady Flames are gearing up in preparation for the event, Head Coach Jessie Lowe believes this group is battle-tested and ready to face the final hurdle at nationals.
“It has been a wild ride. We’ve had a bunch of injuries, nothing that we could prevent,” Lowe said. “It’s caused a lot of trials for our team to try and navigate through that as we lose members at some events. They’ve had to learn how to adapt to new situations or unexpected trials. I think they’re stronger because of it.”
Sophomore assistant captain Annabella James is looking forward to nationals and wants to lead her team to do the best they can this week. The Maryland native earned a second-place finish in the All-Around against JMU, missing the mark for first by a mere 2 points.
“I think going into next week, we don’t need to idolize coming home with first, second or third, but we need to surrender it to the Lord,” James said. “We’ve worked super hard up until this point, and I feel like we’re (more) ready now than we have been this semester. I think that every one of the girls should be super proud no matter what happens next week.”
James has been a consistent force for Liberty all season, tying for third on the vault and fifth on the balance beam against JMU as well. She hopes to turn that consistency into a win in each of the events she is in.
“Consistency is definitely super important, but obviously things happen and not everyone is going to be perfect all the time, but our coaches have really emphasized the work ethic of giving 100 percent every practice, and the results will come. So, I’ve been trying to practice according to that ethic they set for us,” James said.
The Flames overtook JMU in their final meet of the regular season – Photo by Matt Reynolds
Being a leader and underclassman can add extra pressure going into the nationals, but James does not let that bother her. The focus heading into the final competition is simply on improving her game and helping her teammates improve theirs.
“I feel like the only pressure will probably come from myself because I can be hard on myself,” James said. “As a leader, I want to do well, but I know that my coaches and my teammates don’t expect me to play perfectly. I think the most important part is my attitude so that my positivity can radiate off on all the girls.”
Nationals will test every skill the players have learned throughout the season. Senior Audrey Case, who has been a consistent medal-winner in her time as a Flame, is preparing to enter her final nationals appearance with the team.
Case took home third on bars, vault, floor exercise and the All-Around against JMU, a performance that propels the senior forward with a good dose of momentum.
“We come into the gym each day with a fresh mindset and put 100 percent effort in,” Case said. “There are a lot of factors that will determine what the outcome is in the completion, but as long as we have our training and our effort to back us up, we can be happy we gave it our all no matter the outcome.”
As Case prepares for the upcoming nationals, she is also preparing to graduate next month.
“It’s bittersweet because it is only my second year at Liberty,” Case said. “I’m sad to leave the team, but I’m also happy I got to spend an amazing two years here. I have plans to continue in the gymnastics world by coaching and maybe playing in an adult league.”
The NAIGC Nationals take place April 10-13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Last time out, the Lady Flames took home the silver medal for the first time in program history. This time, Liberty’s gymnastics team is looking to make program history and claim its first gold medal in the championship.
“I’m expecting them to compete very well,” Lowe said. “They’ve been progressing with each meet. They’ve been building off of their successes and learning from their failures. I feel like they’re peaking at the right time. Gymnastics is unpredictable, and we always try to roll with the punches. They’re a great team. They’ve got a ton of energy and they’re building a lot of momentum right now.”
Warden is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion