On the weekend of April 17, the NCAA National Gymnastics Championship was held for collegiate gymnastics in Fort Worth, Texas.
Pioneer senior Nina McGee (Cincinnati, Ohio) was the only gymnast representing DU on the national stage. Her entire season has been a success. She was named Mountain Rim Gymnast of the Week three weeks in a row and the conference then decided to no longer give her this award so that other gymnasts would have a chance to win it. McGee also won the all-around at the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference meet.
McGee was named All-American by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches and Women in both floor and all-around. The NCAA also named her a First Team All-American in floor and a Second Team All-American in the all-around.
While these are very commendable accolades, for McGee, taking home the second place trophy for floor was the best achievement of all.
After tying for second in the all-around at NCAA Regionals on April 4, McGee was guaranteed a spot at the National Championships. The opportunity to compete on the biggest college stage possible, however, did not affect her. The rest of the team continued to train with her and offer their moral support.
“I pretty much tried to keep everything the same, I wanted to treat it like every other meet of the season,” she said.
McGee made it to the semifinals for both floor and all-around. She scored a 39.375 in the all-around, earning her sixth place in the second bracket. This all-around score is the highest score by any gymnast at the NCAA National Championship in the history of DU’s program. For floor, she scored a 9.925, which helped her advance to the finals.
When finals came around, Nina was prepared but still a little anxious.
“It was my first time at nationals and I was rotating with No. 1 Oklahoma. I was going up against some former Olympians and ex-elites. I did a lot of deep breathing to help me relax. I was so nervous. I just went over my routines in my head a lot. I was making sure I was mentally tough,” she said.
When competing on a huge stage like Nationals, everything lies in the pre-meet preparation.
“Honestly, before I got up there I was just like ‘Oh my God. Don’t forget your routine.’ I took a deep breath before I got on the floor. When the music started, I just let it take me,” she said. The event, which took place at the Fort Worth Convention Center, is a large venue and due to the sheer size of the area coupled with the large crowd, it was difficult for McGee to hear the music. Her routine was set to Ariana Grande’s “Problem.”
The event had real-time scoring, which meant that McGee did not have to wait long to receive her score—a 9.95. Her average score for the season was 9.93 and her high score was 9.975. With this 9.95, McGee took second place.
The title of champion was given to the University of Florida’s Kytra Hunter who scored a 9.9625. For the most part, McGee was satisfied with her season and the results.
“I was excited that I had placed. I knew where my mistake was so I was kind of bummed about that. I can’t go back and fix it. It just kind of lit the fire for next year and I’m determined to do better,” she said.
Although McGee is technically a senior, she will be returning for another year due to an injury from freshman year—a tibia surgery including the insertion of metal rods into both of her legs. She lost a year of competition because of this surgery, making her eligible for one more as a Pio.
“I haven’t even thought about it [next year]. I’m just trying to catch up on sleep. I won’t really give it much thought until June,” she said.
