Gymnastics celebrates graduating seniors

By Sam Wilson, Staff Writer
March 9, 2007

The gymnastics team will say goodbye to three seniors tonight when the team competes against the Iowa Hawkeyes in its last home meet of the regular season. Coach Rob Drass said the seniors bring different qualities to the team.

Ali Gilmore, a walk-on from St. Charles, is someone who her teammates claim is a model for hard work on the team.

"She's definitely more of the quiet leader," junior Julie Abaray said. "(She) definitely leads more by example than by voicing. She's one of the hardest workers I've ever been on the team with."

For Abaray, Gilmore is someone who can be looked up to 24 hours a day.

"Ali is not someone that we can only look up to inside the gym," Abaray said. "She's also a great influence outside the gym, as well. She gets great grades, and she's just an all-around really good person."

Whitney Crater, a senior from Little Rock, Ark., fills a few different roles on the team. She serves as a liaison between the team and Drass, and her teammates said she is willing to inform Drass when they are uncomfortable with something he is doing.

"Whitney is the voice of the team," junior Katie Kluga said. "She always stands up for what she believes in and what she thinks is right."

Even though Drass doesn't always act on Crater's recommendations, he said he appreciates the input.

"It's nice to hear how the team feels," he said. "Sometimes it's important, sometimes it's not important. I think it's always important to know how the team feels."

One of Crater's new roles is one she has taken on more recently. After tearing her Achilles' tendon late last season, Crater has returned to competition ahead of schedule and is competing in the vault and floor lineup. For Nikki Bowman, a junior who has had three surgeries in her career, this has provided inspiration.

"It got me to put my butt in gear a little bit because she came back so quickly," Bowman said. "It's definitely pushed me."

The third senior is Amanda Pezzullo from Wheaton, Ill. Among the team members, she is recognized for her consistency.

"We know we can always count on Amanda to hit a routine even if all five people in front of her fell," Abaray said.

Drass said Pezzullo's consistency has a calming influence on the team.

"I think that there's a calming presence with Amanda," Drass said. "I think everybody has 100 percent confidence that Amanda is going to hit."

It is this consistency that makes Pezzullo a leader by example, Kluga said.

The ceremony honoring the seniors will not be held until after the meet. Drass said he prefers this as a way to keep emotions out of the competition.

"We hold it at bay for a little while until we're done with our job," Drass said. "They can all cry as much as they want after that because it's always an emotional time. You're saying goodbye to three special people."

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Gymnastics celebrates graduating seniors

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