Auriéle Tran has had an impressive first year for the Iowa gymnastics team. Despite the success, she has one simple goal for the rest of the season.
“Just keep having fun and doing the best I can,” said Tran.
The first-year played right into that mentality on Friday evening, scoring a season-high score of 9.950 on bars to help take down in-state rival Iowa State in the annual Iowa Corn CyHawk series at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
“I was really happy. I have been struggling on bars lately, but I was happy that I was calm enough to perform well,” said Tran. “I didn’t come out my best, but I was happy I was able to recover.”
While the natural circumstances of a heated rivalry can make an athlete feel nervous and less focused to perform, a simple message helped Tran lock in for the meet.
“I just remind myself to focus on what I can control. If I do my best, there’s not gonna be any regret. So whatever happens, happens.”
Friday’s competition was arguably one of Iowa’s most important meets of the season, but it’s not the first time Tran has found herself in a pressure-packed spot.
Hailing from Repentigny, Quebec, Tran represented Canada in the 2024 Paris Olympics before heading south to Iowa City.
Competing in the Olympics was a big accomplishment for Tran, but it wasn’t her only accolade before college. She won a bronze medal with Team Canada at the Pan American Games in 2023 and claimed the Canadian National Championship in her final two seasons of high school competition.
Tran entered her college career as a highly-anticipated recruit, and has continued that hype into her freshman campaign.
Her showing against Iowa State was one of the highlights of her season, but the freshman has also won a number of individual titles as well. Those crowns include four on bars, three on beam, and three all-around titles.
Tran currently slots in as the eighth-best all-around gymnast in the Big Ten, and the second-highest ranking freshman.
As Tran and the GymHawks approach the Big Ten tournament, they hope to compete at their best in order to boost their potential chances at competing in the NCAA Championships.
“Looking ahead to the Big Ten Tournament, we just need to stay on track,” said Iowa head coach, Jen Llewellyn. “After a well-deserved break this weekend, we’ll focus on our next away meet, which is key to securing a strong regional spot.”