In his 35th season in charge, NC State gymnastics head coach Mark Stevenson has high hopes for his young squad, which was ranked first in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League preseason poll.
Despite its preseason praises, the team’s start to the 2015 season has hit a few bumps, with two tough home meets against a pair of nationally ranked opponents: No. 18 Washington and No. 15 Denver.
Although the Wolfpack finished second in both dual meets as a team, Stevenson and the squad gained confidence from a number of strong individual performances, while learning where the group can improve.
“Both teams were top-20 teams and that is where we need to get to,” Stevenson said. “We knew it was going to be a little bit of a struggle early on because we’re so young. In the first meet, about 12 of the routines were done by girls who have never competed in college before.”
Both meets were close losses for the Wolfpack. Denver took home the win with a total score of 194.500, while NC State finished with 192.025. The Wolfpack tightened the score difference against Washington, with the meet scores ending at 195.550 for the Huskies, and 194.15 for the Wolfpack.
“We were so senior-heavy last year, and it’s been a good transition for the kids, but they had to get the jitters out in that first meet,” Stevenson said. “We improved by two points after the first meet and have another two points we can improve on easily. And we will get those points in a period of time as long as we can stay healthy.”
Stevenson has led NC State to the postseason 26 times; 2015 marks the start of his 35th year at the helm.
Since starting with the program in its infancy, Stevenson has created both long-term and seasonal goals for the gymnastics team.
“Our main goal for this season is to win our conference championship,” Stevenson said. “Beyond that, we want to move on to the first round of nationals and have a shot at being in the top two at that regional meet.”
Not only does Stevenson promote athletics, but he also emphasizes the team’s academics. The team has received many academic accolades over the years, including 107 gymnasts being named to the ACC’s academic honor roll and 105 athletes earning spots on the East Atlantic Gymnastics League all-academic team.
Despite the ACC and NCAA rules for grades and athlete eligibility, Stevenson and the team develop their own goals for academics.
“We have stricter rules than everybody else,” Stevenson said. “We put our standards higher. The team does a lot of it themselves because we have goals. One of our goals is to have a 3.3 GPA as a team. That’s their expectation of themselves.”
Despite his long relationship with NC State gymnastics, Stevenson finds it easy to continue to motivate his gymnasts to perform at their highest level, while creating a fun and hardworking environment.
“I think this job is one of the best jobs in the world because I work with highly motivated and intelligent young women who generally go to class and stay out of trouble,” Stevenson said. “What else can you ask for as a college coach?”
The Wolfpack next travels to Denton, Texas to face the Texas Women’s University Jan. 25.
