As she prepares to compete for the individual floor exercise title in the 2021 NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Tournament, sophomore Emily Shepard couldn’t help but reminisce about the path she took to get to that point, a path that began halfway across the country and started so early that it’s still shrouded in the ether of infancy.

“My mom put me in gymnastics when I was 18 months,” Shepard said. “I don’t remember a day when I wasn’t doing gymnastics because I started at such a young age. But I fell in love with it, and I don’t know what life without gymnastics would be like. I have dreams and goals, and not achieving them just isn’t an option for me.”

For Shepard, competing at the collegiate level was one of those goals, and when it came time to choose a college, there was a lot about NC State that enticed her.

“I knew I wanted to go far away from home because I’m from Kansas, and we don’t really do gymnastics over there,” Shepard said. “I wanted to find a program that I could help build, help them climb in the rankings and influence the culture itself. And I also looked for a school where I knew my gymnastics would get better and I knew I would grow as a gymnast. When I visited here [Raleigh], I really got that vibe and I felt at home here.”

When Shepard got to Raleigh, she wasted no time getting herself acquainted with the podium. By the end of her freshman year at NC State, Shepard had earned First Team All-EAGL Honors on the vault and bars and earned Second Team honors on the floor. But despite already being labeled as one of the best young gymnasts in the conference, Shepard still found room to improve between her freshman and sophomore years. 

“My main goal was adding in a beam routine,” Shepard said. “My freshman year I did every event except the beam. I trained in the event every day and was ready as an alternate my freshman year. But not competing in that event my freshman year made me hungrier, especially since I had a goal to be an all-around gymnast in college.”

Despite knowing there were aspects of her game she could work on, Shepard relished getting an opportunity to showcase her skills in the 2020 postseason. So when all college athletic activities were interrupted, and eventually canceled, at the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepard said she remembered getting frustrated and using that frustration to motivate her going into her sophomore year.

But while it was frustrating in the moment, Shepard said she learned a few valuable lessons in her time away from the game. According to Shepard, the COVID-19 pause reaffirmed her love for gymnastics and taught her to appreciate the moments when she was able to compete. So even though following COVID-19 protocols her sophomore season prevented her from practicing normally and hanging out with friends, she was able to focus on the positives of that year, specifically getting the opportunity to compete at all.

“It was definitely frustrating, and it changed me as a person and as a gymnast,” Shepard said. “I was in awe of everything my freshman year. I was living my dream in college, and it all ended so suddenly, and I was home like a week later, rewatching videos of my meets and wishing the season would start back up again. I learned then not to take it for granted, so coming back the next year, even though the pandemic is still going on, overcoming the challenges the pandemic brought was something that I was proud of.”

And as soon as she got back on campus, Shepard dove headfirst into her gymnastics. 

“[Shepard] strives to be a better student-athlete daily and influences her teammates to do the same,” said NC State gymnastics head coach Kim Landrus. “She is a joy to coach.” 

In addition to leading the team on the scoreboard, Shepard has led the team off the mats, a role that Shepard said she looked forward to taking on. 

“As much as you can get a team huddle and give a pep talk, true leadership comes from your actions,” Shepard said. “I say what needs to be said, but leadership really shows based on your work ethic.”

In a unique year that presented its own challenges, Shepard said she remembered how close she was to the seniors during her freshman year, and said she’s tried to establish that same rapport with her teammates this year.

“I’m big on making relationships and connections outside the gym,” Shepard said. “That’s how we grow as a team. COVID has challenged that this year, so we’ve had a lot of socially-distanced coffee dates and stuff. One of my favorite activities to do is to write down a quote on a notecard, write down what someone means to me or give someone motivation if they’re struggling. I think it’s little things like that that can make someone’s day.” 

The leadership Shepard displayed paid dividends for the Wolfpack when it came time for postseason play, as NC State made it all the way to the regional final after initially starting out in the first round. 

In the second round, Shepard posted a 9.925 on the floor routine, one of the highest floor scores in her region, earning her a chance to compete for the individual floor exercise title. 

Despite not having an opportunity to compete in the postseason her freshman year, Shepard said she doesn’t have the nerves or anticipation that one might expect of someone in her position.

“I’m really excited and thankful for the opportunity,” Shepard said. “I personally put a lot of pressure on myself this past season. So this was really rewarding for me, and now I’ll be able to get out there and enjoy myself. Going out there, I want to represent my school and my team because I know not a lot of people get this opportunity.” 

There are a lot of stats and accomplishments to help describe the kind of sophomore year Shepard had, but perhaps the most important honor she earned was the EAGL Conference Gymnast of the Year. 

For Shepard, she said improving her gymnastics wasn’t a means to win individual trophies but to help her team win meets and to achieve the goals she set for herself when she decided to go to NC State. 

“Honestly, I feel like I didn’t really acknowledge that that happened,” Shepard said. “My parents told me to take a minute and realize how big of an accomplishment that is because I put the work in for it. But sometimes I even forget that happened because I feel like I was going to put in that work anyway. I suppose it showed that all the hard days focusing on the little details were worth it, but I did that for my team and to hold true to my values.”

After earning a conference Gymnast of the Year award, Shepard has seemingly reached the top of her profession, but to her, there’s still a lot of room to improve, and she still holds onto the same drive and ambition that she used to improve in the summer after her freshman year. 

“I definitely will be striving for more next season,” Shepard said. “I had some goals this season that I got very close to in each meet. But going to the regionals showed me where I wanted my gymnastics to be and where I wanted my team to be. Now I’ve got some new goals to reach, and that’s going to make me and my team hungrier next year.”

Shepard and the rest of the individual gymnasts will compete for their individual titles Friday, April 16 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Gymnastics action that day will be broadcast on ESPN2 starting at 1 p.m., with Shepard competing in a second session that starts at 6 p.m.