For the women, they’ve already said goodbye to Carver-Hawkeye. These are their words to describe the feeling:
Nikki Youd
“I hope I have taught my teammates to keep a perspective [and to be] persistent and resilient. I’ve definitely come out of my shell in the past four years, and I have my coaches and teammates to thank for that.”
Youd will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in health and human physiology. She was recently accepted into the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.
Jori Robertson
“I had a few knee injuries that carried over into my college career, but I didn’t let it stop me. It’s bittersweet to have this be the end at Carver.”
Robertson will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
Melissa Zurawski
“I’m going to miss everything about my team. I came in here with an injury, so getting through that set the tone of my career. Having a coaching staff as amazing as ours has just made me grow as a person and a gymnast so much more.”
Zurawski will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in health and human physiology.
Lanie Snyder
“I’ll miss just being able to flip around whenever I want. I worked really hard to compete, and I’d say that’s a success for me.”
Snyder will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in English education.
As these seniors come to terms with the new reality being thrust upon them, so must women’s gymnastics head coach Larissa Libby.
“More than any other class, they represent resilience and fight,” Libby said. “They’ve had it hard.
They got to see firsthand that they were part of creating our culture, and it’s really hard to maintain it when you’re bringing in a class of whole new kids.”
For the men, their Senior Night is fast approaching; the feelings are just starting to become real. These are their words to sum the experience:
Elijah Parsells
“It’s bittersweet. As soon as you come here, you know this day will come, and it’s always closer than you expect.”
Parsells will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physiology.
Austin Hodges
“I’m not really thinking about the Senior Night aspect, [but over thelast four years], I’ve definitely become more of a leader.”
Hodges will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy.
Dylan Ellsworth
“I grew up a lot. I didn’t come in as the best student, [and] I was kind of a lazy athlete. I’ve learned when to work hard and when to have fun. It’s going to be sad; it’s my last time in Carver. I’m just going to try to have as much fun as I can.”
Ellsworth will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Mark Springett
“I’ve become more confident. I’m a little bit of a weird person, but I’m OK with that. And I think my accepting who I am has led me to help and motivate the team in my own eccentric way. I’m definitely going to miss the guys. The joy that you have after a victory and the agony of defeat. Everything we go through, we go through together.”
Springett will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sports business.
As much as head coach J. D. Reive will miss these seniors, he’s more excited about the futures they’ll build.
“They’ve all had a huge impact on the program, which made my job very fulfilling,” he said. “[We’re] constantly talking about what college is for. This sport is my platform, and we’re trying to make these young men be able to go out and lead in the world. I feel like we do areally good job of that. This class is very representative of that.”