Gymnast Libby Allen feels at home

By Dillon Flanigan

Sports Editor 

Being an athlete is hard enough but trying to be recruited collegiately in a less recognized sport like gymnastics, is a struggle.

Gymnast Libby Allen, a senior from Franklin, Tennessee, is one of the 12 out-of-state gymnasts that remain from the 2021 Coronavirus-tainted recruit class.

“COVID really took me a step back, I didn’t know where I was going,” Allen said.

As a toddler, she participated in several activities such as dance, soccer and gymnastics where her two brothers later joined her in the gym. Described as rambunctious and active kids, she discontinued dance and soccer, contributing to her potential future in gymnastics. With her brothers falling beside her briefly, she continued to focus on the vault, beam and floor exercises.

While her high school did not have an established team, she joined club teams at her local gym. In her senior year of high school, Allen joined a new gym called ‘Let it Shine’ where she believes making that decision was the reason she is doing the sport at the collegiate level.

“Recruiting, a lot of things were difficult, but once I finally was able to go to this new gym that was in my area, and then things started to get better and kind of back to normal,” Allen said.

Allen set her sights high and far in attempts to latch onto a team, but without any direction, several teams already had filled their rosters until she found Southern Connecticut. Wanting a change of scenery, she committed to the university without visiting.

As a freshman, she attended first-year student orientation online as part impartial of following health and safety guidelines at the time. However, in August of 2021, she visited for the first time, reaffirming her belief that her decision was the right one.

Under her first season under former Head Coach Byron Knox, Allen, competed in just two meets as she injured her foot during her freshman campaign causing her to miss the remaining meets, deciding to redshirt. Participating in numerous meets in her sophomore and junior years, the latter year being her most successful by far, has raised the roof higher for this season.

“Last season was probably my best season I’ve ever had, because I worked very hard. And I’ve never been so passionate about something I was doing,” Allen said. “I worked very hard, especially on floor. That was my best event and where I wanted to prove myself.”

For the first time in two decades, the gymnastics team competed at USAG Nationals in April of 2024, to include Allen and others where they qualified individually. She was a finalist in the event, earning All-American First Team Honors in the Floor exercise.

Though earlier in the season, down Interstate 95 in Montville, Connecticut, she received first place, dominating with a career-best score of 9.900, tying the highest score in university history in the exercise she worked to perfect, thus, contributing the team to a win in the All-American Challenge.

“Qualifying to Nationals and making event finals and then becoming as All-American on that event, that was really just something I’m very proud of because of all the effort and work I put into it,” Allen said.

From New York to California, Texas to Wisconsin and internationally, Allen, a second-year captain has the task of bringing a diverse group of women to the mat this season.

For the second year in a row, she was named a captain. One of only three, nervous at first, Allen has really taken on the role as a model for her teammates. Having a leadership role for a second year has brought confidence knowing that in one way-shape or form, she is helping her teammates out in a positive way.

“She’s a beautiful, powerful, talented athlete and she shines,” Interim Head Coach Jerry Nelson said. “She’s a great captain that kid, and the team respects her and looks up to her.”

Allen, an elementary education major, has taken the mat by storm not only as a gymnast but as a young leader in society. In the summer, coaching kids in the sport alongside Olympians, collegiate athletes and coaches at a local gymnastics camp called ‘FlipFest,’ is one of her favorite things to do and looks forward to it each year.