N.C . State’s gymnastics team, ranked No. 18 in the country as it heads to Chicago this Friday, is well-balanced with eleven underclassmen and eight upperclassmen.

Apparently, it hasn’t taken very long for the freshmen and sophomores to get comfortable in front of their experienced teammates.

For the first time since March of 2008, State swept the three honors East Atlantic Gymnastics League hands out during any given week – and it’s the young pups making much of the noise. Freshman Lane Jarred was tabbed Rookie of the Week, sophomore Stephanie Ouellette picked up Gymnast of the Week honors and junior Rachel Fincham , who has fought back from injuries throughout each of her season’s in Raleigh, claimed Specialist of the Week honors.

After starting with a pair of meets at home, NCSU will now go 28 days between appearances at Reynolds. Away meets at Illinois-Chicago, Oklahoma and Missouri will bridge the gap to the Sweetheart Invitational, which the Pack will host on Feb. 11.

Ouelette , who last year was the first freshman since 1993 to qualify for the NCAA Championships as an individual, said that gaining momentum throughout the season will be vital for the team’s success.

“Every year it seems like we have been on our peak right around now,” Ouellette said. “It seems like we whittle down and die down by the time we really need to be at our top. We kind of feel that this year we are starting a little different and it will help us at the end of the season when we need to be on our game the most.”

On a team with six seniors, the sophomore out of Columbia, MD hasn’t had any difficulty finding leadership to lean on. Jess Panza , a senior out of New York, NY, has been one of her main role models among the senior contingent.

“They have spent four years doing college gymnastics, so they have a lot to help us with,” Ouellette said. “I can honestly say that I have learned a whole lot from Jess [ Panza ]. She’s been competing three to four events just about every meet. She’s had her ups and downs, and she has fallen. But she knows how to handle it when she is struggling on a day or when you have fear.

“She has been there just like all of the seniors have, but I have taken a lot from her.”

While Ouellette has continued to blossom in Raleigh, Jarred already has her fingerprints on the first two meets of 2012. Last year’s Gymnast of the Year in New Jersey said she is glad to get early-season nerves out of the way.

“It feels amazing starting off really well because you don’t know what to expect going to your first meet,” Jarred said. “When the whole team does really well, it brings up everybody’s morale. Getting to travel like this is a lot of fun because we get to new cities, see other teams, and show our skills to other people.”

The 2008, 2010 and 2011 New Jersey state all-around champion said she had relatively low expectations coming into her first year with the Pack.

“I didn’t have as high of expectations, I’m just really excited to hit the events I have done so far,” Jarred said. “As a freshman it is really great to just be competing, so it makes me happy.”

Her coach, Mark Stevenson, enters 2012 as the only gymnastics coach State has ever had. A four-time EAGL Coach of the Year, Stevenson said he is focused on his team improving its current No. 18 ranking.

“Right now what we are trying to do is the same thing we are always trying to do, and that’s hit our routines,” Stevenson said. “If we hit our routines and do well at what we do when we do them, we’re going to be okay. We’ll hopefully continue to move up the line a little bit.

“We don’t want to stay at No. 18.”

And after spending some time west of the Mississippi, Stevenson said having a large crowd at Reynolds would be a great reward for a successful road trip. Penn State, William & Mary and George Washington will all be hosted by State.

“We’ve had two really good crowds this year, roughly around 2,500 for each of the first two meets,” Stevenson said. “We would love to get in the three to four thousand range for the Sweetheart [Invitational}. It’s a big meet with Penn State ranked in the top-12, and they are a good team. I think we are a team that if we do our job, we could push them really hard.

“We would be really excited to have our people there helping us.”