After four years of blood, sweat and tears, fellow seniors Jess Panza and Brooke Barr know each other well enough to realize birthday serenading simply can’t wait until afternoon practice. Panza , who turned 22 Tuesday, didn’t even see the sun peak its head above campus before hearing an early morning rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“I didn’t get her anything, but I did sing her happy birthday at seven in the morning,” Barr said.
For the first time since their freshman season, Panza and Barr will lead their team in an NCAA Regional meet at Reynolds Coliseum. Six teams–Florida, Kent State, UNC-Chapel Hill, Ohio State, Penn State and N.C . State–will go up against each other at 4 p.m . Saturday afternoon for the right to advance to the national championships in Duluth, Ga. April 20-22. The Wolfpack is one of five teams from the East Atlantic Gymnastics League to receive an NCAA bid.
“We hosted Regionals our freshman year, so it’s kind of like it has come full circle,” Panza said. “It’s nice seeing it from a senior perspective now. I definitely think our team’s abilities, skills and attitude are way better than they ever have been, so I’m definitely excited.”
One of six seniors who will represent the red and white one last time inside the confines of Reynolds, the Long Island native said she will miss her time in Raleigh when the end eventually comes.
“Every memory kind of blends into one,” Panza said. “It’s not that it’s the same because it has been a great experience. I don’t think it is going to hit me until the end of summer because I am just looking forward to the summer right now. It’s something that will be interesting; I’m not sure what I am going to do with myself. But it’s been a great experience and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Having also traveled a fair distance to be a part of the Pack’s storied gymnastics program, Barr was at a loss for words trying to describe her final go around.
“It’s a weird feeling and I don’t really know how to put it into words,” Barr, a native of Harrisburg, Pa., said. “It’s bittersweet. It’s exciting and sad. I want it to continue and I want it to stop. It’s one of those things that will take adjusting once it’s over, but it has been a great last year. As a team we have done awesome and I couldn’t really ask for a better senior season.”
With emotions easy to get in the way, Barr said the team has tried to relax and prepare for Saturday just like any other meet.
“Everything has just been really relaxed and everyone has been focused in the gym,” Barr said. “We’re having fun and lots of laughs. We’re not taking everything so seriously because we want to have fun doing it. It’s been a great atmosphere to practice in.”
Head coach Mark Stevenson is bringing State to the NCAA Regionals for a 22nd time in program history, and the long-tenured coach said he understands the emotions senior leaders will be going through.
“The kids themselves are doing great because they are keeping perspective and not getting too excited,” Stevenson said. “With the competition coming up, they are staying level and you have to stay level in order to do the same thing you do every day at the competition. You can have a little adrenaline, but if it gets out of hand, you’re all over the place. It’s something we have been preaching to them a lot.”
As the only head coach Wolfpack Gymnastics has ever had, Stevenson has seen his fair share of leaders. This year’s core group, however, is one that will be missed in many different ways.
“The seniors have been phenomenal,” Stevenson said. “They’ve done a tremendous job for us and it started their freshman year. They all came in and they all jumped right in to become an integral part of the team right away. They were competitive and were part of our last conference championship. We’re really going to miss them next year. Jess [ Panza ] and Brooke [Barr] have been the team leaders and have kept the younger kids moving in the right direction by helping them learn how to get things done.
“These seniors have been really special kids.”
If the group hopes to continue its season, it will have to do so by taking down some of the nation’s most talented teams. No. 20 State arrives with a Regional Qualifying Score of 195.870, which trails No. 1 Florida (197.445), No. 12 Ohio State (196.245) and No. 13 Penn State (196.230). Kent State is ranked No. 26 with a RQS of 195.400, while Carolina has a 195.010.
