By Taylor Lupetti
For senior gymnast Rachel Heinl, going to the NCAA Seattle Regionals was the ideal way to end her last year on the team.
However, the opportunity to compete at regionals was not something Heinl saw in her future after San Jose State took first place at the MPSF Championships.
Fortunately for Heinl, she soon discovered she would be joining fellow teammates junior Kaitlin Won and freshman Taylor Chan on the road to compete in Seattle.
“Going into conference, I was tied so I wasn’t sure if I was going to regionals,” Heinl said. “Then, because of my conference performance, I bumped another girl and made it. I was really excited to be able to continue my gymnastics career for two more weeks.”
Being the only three competitors from SJSU’s team, Heinl, Won and Chan were able to see where they stood when competing on their own. An opportunity that allowed them to further discover their individual strengths and weaknesses.
“It was a cool experience with a really exciting and big atmosphere,” Heinl said. “There were a lot of big teams there so it was fun to be a part of something that’s bigger than ourselves.”
Coming back from an injury after being out for almost a month, Won got back into the all-around event, not letting the time lost effect her performance. With some alterations made, Won was able to hit her sets to her satisfaction.
Won had her best showings this season scoring career highs in the uneven bar, beam, floor and all-around. The bars and beam scores came at the MPSF Championship.
Coming from Arizona where they practiced together in a few gyms, Heinl and Won’s 12 years of performing together is officially over with Heinl graduating. Within the time the girls have known one another, they have seen each other grow into the competitors they are today, making the trip to regionals that much more special.
“It was awesome and it came full circle,” Heinl said. “Going out there and having a piece of home with me was the best way to end my season.”
With an eventful first year already in the books, Chan was the only freshman on the team invited to the Regionals to compete on floor and one of just two who competed that day in that particular event.
Chan was named MPSF Freshman of the Year and 2017 Co-Floor Champion. In addition, Chan not only broke her personal record on beam this season with a score of 9.9, but tied the school record as well.
With the season ending and Heinl graduating, Won and Chan are prepared to step up and lead their team, following in the same fashion as Heinl.
This season was just the beginning for Chan who has three years left and plans to make the most of them.
“I am working on becoming an all-arounder,” Chan said. “I am going to work just as hard as I did coming to San Jose. I want to help lead the team and become a role model for everyone coming in.”
While their next season may be a ways away, Chan and Won are ready to take on regionals once again, this time with their entire team.
“I was us to work super hard for next year,” Won said. “So that way we can all go to regionals together.”
