Before stepping foot on campus to begin her freshman season as a member of the gymnastics team, sophomore Jess Panza had already accumulated accolades, including being named the number one gymnast in the whole state of New York in 2008 and being ranked first in both the vault and the all around in her region before entering college. At her gymnastics club back in New York, Panza was the only higher-level gymnast and never had any teammates reach her high level of skill and competition.
“I was the only older gymnast, and all of my other teammates were younger,” Panza said. “It is great being in an atmosphere with people doing the same things you are doing.”
Panza has built upon those early accolades in the early stages of her career here at N.C. State by being named EAGL rookie of the week after competing in her first ever meet as a member of the Wolfpack during her freshman season. Also during that year, she was named to the EAGL all-tournament first team for her performance all season on bars and to the EAGL second team for her performance on vault.
“She brings a lot of effort in practice and we can always count on her, especially when it comes to beam,” freshman Rachel Fincham said.
Panza’s freshman season wasn’t as successful as she would have hoped, as a high ankle sprain kept her out of competition for four weeks. She did not let that injury stop her, though, as she went on to post her second highest score of the season on beam during the EAGL championships. Her score of 9.85 was the highest of all her teammates and it helped the team capture the 2009 EAGL championship.
“The injury was hard because the season is so short,” Panza said. “My goal over the summer was to come in and be in the best shape I could be for this season.”
In her sophomore season Panza has only built upon the foundation of strong performance she laid during her freshman season. She has been an instrumental part of the team this season, as they have had to face some of the top programs from across the country. In the quad meet at West Virginia, Panza secured the top score for her team in floor exercise, beam and all around.
“Jess has made tremendous strides,” coach Mark Stevenson said. “We are real proud of her high work ethic.”
The success this season didn’t end at the meet in West Virginia, as Panza had one of the best meets of her career when the team traveled to Dallas to take on No. 2 Oklahoma. She posted what was her career high at the time in the all-around with a score of 39.200, which was high enough to place her first amongst all competitors. Her contributions allowed the Wolfpack to stay reasonably close to Oklahoma and fall a little more than a point behind the Sooners.
“I am really happy with how the season is going, but there is always room to improve,” Panza said.
This past weekend, the Wolfpack pulled off a historic upset over No. 10 Nebraska in the Sweetheart invitational, and once again Panza had a hand in the outcome of the meet. She posted a new career-high all around score of 39.225, which placed her second behind only Christine Nguyen of UNC-Chapel Hill. Panza also contributed to the season-high beam score for the Pack, as she secured a season-high individual beam score of 9.875.
“She has done what it takes to elevate her performance and especially with her bar performance,” Stevenson said.
Panza will look to continue utilizing her strong work ethic during both the practices and meets ahead in her career. She will also look to best her career marks as she continues to be a top performer and contributor for Wolfpack gymnastics. As the season progresses, the Pack will look towards Panza to bring her top scoring performance during some tough meets ahead, against opponents like Georgia, and into the EAGL championships.
“She is just a great kid and doesn’t stop working,” Stevenson said.
