The Red and Black

Issue date: 4/28/08 Section: Sports

WHEELER

Anybody who thinks college gymnastics is an individual sport would have been well served to watch 15 minutes of the NCAA National Championship.

For gymnasts such as Southern Utah's Elise Wheeler, Thursday's team preliminary was a lonely place.

Wheeler was one of 13 individual gymnasts from 12 schools who qualified for the National Championship to compete in the all-around without the rest of her team.

Each of the gymnasts was matched with one team to shadow for the week, attending practice Wednesday and following them through the rotations in Thursday's competition. Wheeler drew the Gym Dogs.

It can be an uneasy partnership, as the Gym Dogs admittedly had larger things to worry about than Wheeler's comfort as they tried to capture their fourth consecutive Super Six title.

But as the University welcomed 24 schools to Stegeman Coliseum, the Gym Dogs were perfect hosts in their own right.

"They made me feel right at home," Wheeler said. "They're total Southern belles for sure. They always accepted me into the locker room to hang out, and they were really the nicest girls ever."

Wheeler had met most of the Gym Dogs before, as she was also paired up with the squad in last year's NCAA North Central Regional in Denver, which made for a comfortable reunion Thursday.

"In gymnastics, you see girls growing up since you're 10," Wheeler said. "We didn't really keep in touch, but it was good to see them all. They were all excited to have me."

Wheeler, who traveled with no teammates, three coaches and her mother, also had the large majority of a sellout crowd on her side, though she indicated that competing with the Gym Dogs may not have been an advantage.

"They're phenomenal, and I had to go right after their anchor," Wheeler said. "It's a great experience though, so I can take it back and use it for next year for my own personal experience."

Different teams and fan bases had different ways of treating the all-arounders they are assigned.

Nebraska's two representatives, Desire' Sniatynski and Tricia Woo, spent much of their time together and with their coach. On the other end of the spectrum, UCLA's fans began a chant of "Julie" for Auburn's Julie Dwyer before her floor routine.

Wheeler was thankful for the way Georgia head coach Suzanne Yoculan and the rest of the team embraced her into the pre-routine rituals.

"[Yoculan] is awesome," Wheeler said. "She gave me a big hug and said, 'Come on over, we're going to do a cheer.'"

The Gym Dogs seemed to enjoy the company just as much.

"She's just fun," senior Katie Heenan said. "She has great gymnastics too, which is nice to have that with us. I love that those individuals have a chance to come out here and represent their school, so I hope she had a good time."

It is safe to say she did. As the Gym Dogs captured their fourth consecutive NCAA title in Friday's Super Six, Wheeler, who took 13th place in the all-around Thursday, was watching from the stands.

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