Leigha Hancock has a wide array of interests, from board games to volleyball to racquetball, which she started playing last week.

But there’s one thing she works much harder at than any of her other hobbies. It’s the sport she drove 40 minutes from her hometown of Suffield, Ct., every day to practice. It’s the sport she once nearly quit, but now has grown to love.

It’s gymnastics.

While the sport hasn’t always been as fun for her as it is now, Hancock said she’s a long way from when she wanted to quit gymnastics at the age of 12. After some encouragement from her father and switching gyms, Hancock said gymnastics became more enjoyable.

“It was just a different atmosphere,” Hancock said. “So then it got better from there.”

But even so, Hancock, who also played a year of soccer in high school before deciding to focus on gymnastics, wasn’t sold on the idea of being a college gymnast for four years. She still decided to give it a chance, coming to N.C. State.

Once she arrived, she said coach Mark Stevenson and assistant coach Todd Henry changed any doubts she had about whether she would stick with the sport.

“They made me have a different appreciation for gymnastics,” Hancock said. “And Mark gave me confidence.”

At the same time, she was turning heads with her performance, earning East Atlantic Gymnastics League Rookie of the Year honors.

Hancock said the award wasn’t a matter of domination, but of steady performance.

“I didn’t do amazing, but I just kind of stayed the same,” Hancock said. “I was consistent.”

Hancock followed that up by winning a pair of championships in 2006 — EAGL vault title and an NCAA Regional Floor co-championship.

It’s all a part of a career Hancock said, who continues to exceed her expectations.

“A lot of things I do [are] just surprising to me,” Hancock said.

While she didn’t compete as well as she had hoped at nationals in Corvallis, Ore., last season, she gained the experience of competing in a new type of environment.

“It was overwhelming,” Hancock said. “You’re used to competing with an entire team and counting on each other, but this was just me.”

Hancock also took advantage of the opportunity to watch competitors from other schools even on days she wasn’t competing.

As for how things might turn out this season, she said she doesn’t know what to expect.

“Now I feel like I have some expectations,” Hancock said. “And I don’t know if I’m nervous or excited — I really don’t know how it’s going to go.”

Kelsey Lee, a junior and one of Hancock’s roommates, said her roommate’s contributions to the team are more than individual accomplishments.

“Because she’s a strong competitor, she builds a lot of energy in the gym,” Lee said. “So that helps everyone else become better at their events.”

Meanwhile, junior Heather Zolton, who is also Hancock’s roommate, said Hancock doesn’t settle for less than her goals.

“She’s really aggressive. When she wants something, she goes for it and she gets it,” Zolton said. “She just works at anything that she really wants and she’s just really strong.”

And while Hancock is still spending plenty of time practicing her routines and making sure her other activities don’t land her with an injury, there are always those other things she’ll keep doing — like the racquetball.

Lee, who has played racquetball with Hancock, said they had a great time playing.

But even beyond the games they play and the sport they dedicate so much time to, Lee said she enjoys being around Hancock because of her easy-going nature.

“I can say that we’re juniors, yes, but we act like kids all the time. And it’s just fun. It’s a lot of fun,” Lee said. “She’s a wonderful person.”