Before taking the mat for an event, sophomore Heather Zolton is well aware of the world around her.

She can see a sprinkling of red-clad fans and homemade signs scattered throughout the Reynolds Coliseum stands. She can hear her coach’s instructions over the energetic music pumping from the p.a. system. She can see the eight event judges seated at various tables around the coliseum confines.

But when she steps out on the padded gray mat overlaying the coliseum’s floor, all of the sights and sounds around her vanish. Zolton instead steps into a world of her own creation — one defined by a peaceful and individualized existence.

“When I go out there on the floor, I’m just in my own little world,” Zolton said. “I don’t even think about the people [who] are there or the judges watching. It’s just me performing.”

Zolton’s world has been a successful place for her to reside lately.

At last Friday’s home meet, Zolton registered a season-high score on the bars with 9.825. She went on to register a career-high of 9.8 on the balance beam in Sunday’s victory at North Carolina.

But Zolton’s talents aren’t restricted to just a couple areas. As one of the team’s few “all-around” competitors, Zolton competes in all four of the gymnastics events.

Whether she’s tossing herself between a set of uneven bars, flipping on top of a four-inch wide beam, sky-rocketing off of a vaulting horse or performing a routine on the floor, Zolton has become one of the Pack’s most versatile and productive gymnasts.

“[Zolton] just has a lot of natural talent in every event,” teammate Rachel Katz said. “She has a drive to be good in everything she does.”

Possessing talent in all four events doesn’t come without its drawbacks, however. While some of the gymnasts focus on one or two events during practice, Zolton has to spread her attention across the board.

“I don’t get much resting time during practice,” Zolton said. “There [are] a lot of times when it’s me and maybe one other person practicing because everyone else has left.”

Long hours waged in the gym are nothing new to Zolton. She’s been performing as a gymnast about as long as she’s been able to walk.

Growing up around the Tampa area of Florida in the beachfront town of New Port Richey, Zolton said she started gymnastics around the age of three.

“I was just really energetic as a child — I was pretty crazy,” Zolton said. “I think my mom just wanted something to drain all the energy out of me, so she put me in gymnastics.”

After serving her time on the trampoline and in the obstacle courses in her early years as a gymnast, Zolton eventually found her way into competitions.

When she was a high school junior, Zolton placed fifth nationally in the all-around competition. Her impressive finish caught the eye of Wolfpack coach Mark Stevenson, who extended her a scholarship during the early fall signing period of her senior year.

Zolton admittedly didn’t know what to expect when she arrived in Raleigh.

She adjusted quickly to collegiate gymnastics and the Eastern Atlantic Gymnastic League named her Rookie of the Week on three different occasions. She also earned a spot on the All-EAGL second team for her work on the bars.

While she adjusted to life as a college gymnast relatively easy, adjusting to life as a college student proved to be somewhat overwhelming.

“I just couldn’t figure out how to function as a student when I first got here,” Zolton said with a laugh. “People had to constantly tell me where to be and what I needed to be doing.”

The Floridian also struggled with the climate change and admitted she had “no idea how cold it got” in North Carolina.

Raleigh’s lack of a beach was also initially crushing for Zolton as the water lover missed being by the sea.

But Zolton eventually warmed up to the sometimes frigid temperatures of landlocked Raleigh, and she now feels comfortable with her new town and new team.

Teammates said her sometimes quirky demeanor makes her easy to get along with — and even easier to target with jokes.

“She’s fun to be around,” teammate Kelsey Lee said. “She’s an easy person to laugh at because she’s usually laughing at herself too.”

“She just lightens the mood for the whole team,” Lee said.

Whether Zolton is helping to raise the team’s spirit or raise the team’s score, those associated with Wolfpack gymnastics agree she’s an invaluable member of the team.

Stevenson called her a “great find,” saying her self-motivation is the key to her marked improvement this year.

“I think as you watch her over the next couple of years, you’re going to see her continue to make a bigger impact,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson said Zolton is the kind of person he wants on his team.

“She [has] the mentality that says, ‘I’m going to keep going at it until I make myself better,'” Stevenson said. “You couldn’t ask for anything more in an athlete.”