Fifth-year gymnast JerQuavia Henderson’s journey with Iowa gymnastics has been far from linear — but her long-term goals in the sport remain the same.

A torn Achilles. A long path back to recovery. A three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. A school record on floor with a near-perfect 9.975. Then, a season away from the mat.

And a return to it this year.

Henderson announced in January that she would be stepping away from the Iowa Gymnastics program ahead of the 2024 season, citing mental health struggles.

“As training resumed for this season, my body wasn’t responding the way it normally did, and trying to work through it, along with a rigorous class schedule, was more than I could handle,” Henderson wrote in a statement announcing her departure.

“I think it got to a point where a lot of things were going on,” Henderson told The Daily Iowan in an interview. “It was just so hard that I had to tell myself that if it’s costing my mental health, then it’s too expensive. I am a firm believer in that.”

Henderson said she is a firm believer in God, too, who has guided her along her unique path in collegiate athletics.

“It was really a test of obedience, especially in my faith, where it was just a lot,” she said. “The more I prayed about it, the more God is telling me this isn’t for you right now. Walking away from the thing that I’ve been doing since I was five was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make in my entire career.”

An up-and-down season without the star ensued, in which the Hawkeyes fell out of the national rankings and ultimately struggled in the NCAA Regional after a 10th-place finish at the Big Ten Championships. In addition, the head coach Larissa Libby was placed on administrative leave due to allegations of mistreatment.

One month later, on May 10, Libby resigned.

“I will never forget the many young women and coaches who have journeyed through our program and are now out in the world contributing to society at the highest level,” Libby said in a statement. “Leaving behind all of the wonderful coaches in all different sports who mentored, encouraged, and inspired me throughout my years at Iowa will be the hardest part of saying goodbye.”

As a part of her resignation, the university announced Libby signed a settlement agreement that paid her a total of $449,000 and an additional payout of her $173,349 salary. She also received $330,000 in “liquidated damages” as a result of the termination by the university without cause clause in her contract and supplemental pay of $79,350.

Henderson declined to comment on her tenure under Libby.

The consistent top-25 team that made 24-straight NCAA Regional appearances and won the 2021 Big Ten regular season title under Libby was suddenly full of holes, its future entirely uncertain.

But hopes improved entering the summer as Jen Llewellyn was named the next head coach in early June after spending three years at Washington, where she led the Huskies to three-straight NCAA second-round regional appearances.

Upon hearing the news, Henderson spontaneously direct-messaged Llewellyn on Instagram, introducing herself and opening a dialogue between the two.

“Conversations with her are very easy,” Henderson said. “And her also being a woman of faith just makes it that much easier for me to commit. Just trusting in her and what she presents is exactly what it is.”

Such conversations started with getting to know and understanding one another, but they soon turned to discussing Henderson’s long-term gymnastics goals.

“She’s so kind, very sweet, obviously very talented,” Llewellyn said of Henderson. “But I think just through conversation, hearing what her goals are, not just this year but in the next four years … I think that’s something you always want to be a part of.”

So, Llewellyn threw it out there: “Would you want to use your year of eligibility left?”

And Henderson came back.

On Aug. 23, the three-time All-American — only the third Hawkeye to do so — announced she would return this season for her final year of eligibility.

Henderson’s goals for this season are two-fold.

First, this year marks her final season for the Hawkeyes, so she strives to leave every piece of effort left in her out on the floor.

“I plan on outdoing myself like I’ve never done before,” Henderson said. “I think that’s just a personal challenge. Every year I get stronger, I get better, and the coaches are making sure that we’re at that level of pushing boundaries. My overall goal is to leave it all out on the floor and leave my college career with no regrets.”

Regardless, she hopes simply to maintain the happiness in gymnastics she’s found again this year.

“My overall goal is to just be joyful in everything that I do,” Henderson said of her return. “I think it’s just this year I’m really doing it for me and making sure that, no matter what, I’m happy.”

Henderson added that going back to the gym and doing simple things brings her ultimate peace.

“Instead of constantly chasing after happiness, it’s like I can already tell how joyful I am by just being in the gym,” she added. “Just doing a cartwheel and all the basic things, I’ve found the joy in gymnastics again where I walk in the gym and literally feel like a kid, which is what I wanted for myself … it’s that peace for me that I was like, ‘OK, I’m where I need to be right now because this is what I’ve worked for.’”