Since the Sacramento State gymnastics team lost numerous gymnasts to injuries early on, the freshmen have been asked to step up.

Among the eight freshmen joining the Hornets, one name that stands out is Eryn Stubblefield.

Sac State coach Kim Hughes said that Stubblefield has been the freshman who stood out the most.

Not only has the coaching staff noticed how well Stubblefield is adapting to the college level of completion, but her teammates noticed the new techniques she has taken on.

“(Stubblefield’s) been doing a pretty good job,” sophomore Marina Borisova said. “She gets it and as a freshman it’s (a) good (thing).”

Borisova has been Stubblefield’s mentor and has guided her through the season.

The 5-foot-4-inch gymnast went from competing in just three events to recording four personal bests during the 193-191.125 win over Boise State Jan. 28, including a score of 39 for the all-around.

“I never expected to finish in the top three in anything,” Stubblefield said. “It feels good. All the hard works pays off, but I could never do it without the team.”

Stubblefield began gymnastics when she was just 13 months old. She also played soccer, but when she made level 10, she ditched the soccer ball and made gymnastics a full-time activity.

The age gymnasts begin and the level of competition determines the level compete.

When gymnasts begin as youngsters at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics they are placed in level one, called sparkers, and move up the ladder depending on their level of competition.

Gymnasts are ranked from one to 10, after level 10, gymnasts may gain one more level that NAAG calls the elites. Stubblefield was the only level 10 at her gym.

She competed for the NAAG until her senior year at Corvallis High School, when she followed her coach to his new gym, U.S. Gymnastics Academy.

“I was close to him, so when he left, I followed him to his gym,” she said.

The Eugene, Ore., native won the state title on floor in 2004, tied for second on bars and got third on floor and vault.

She placed second in the all-around event in 2005 at the regionals.

She also helped her team win state titles in 2004 and 2005. She qualified for the nationals in 2005 and 2006, where she took 24th in the all-around in 2006, and placed 13th on floor in 2005.

Stubblefield felt the pressure after three gymnasts took falls on the beam rotation during the meet against Boise State. She went fourth and performed a nearly flawless routine and scored a 9.850.

“You have 17 other girls that depend on you to make the routine,” Stubblefield said. “I don’t feel (there would be any) way I could step up without the support of upperclassmen.”

Hughes saw Stubblefield during the nationals in Oklahoma and knew she was a potential all-arounder, but she did best on floor and beam, Hughes said.

Stubblefield said she received a packet in the mail and kept in contact with Sac State, but was still looking at other schools.

Stubblefield joins seven other freshmen, who are the girls she feels closest to, and the entire team’s chemistry is one of the reasons why she chose Sac State.

When Stubblefield came on the recruiting trip, she bonded with the team and considers her teammates her “best friends” and strives to match her upperclassmen’s performance.

“I don’t see them as competition, but like Marina’s (Borisova) 39.2 (on Jan. 21 in Alaska) is something I want to strive for and compete at her level,” Stubblefield said. “(There is) a good person on every event and you want to do as good as them.”

Hughes said he doesn’t want the girls to think of their teammates as competition, since it’s a team sport and events’ individual scores are put together to tally a team score.

“It’s more of ‘great, you are coming up to the level of your teammates,'” Hughes said.

Stubblefield competed in the all-around for the first time against Utah State on Jan. 12, where she placed third with 38.375, which was the highest score for Sac State.

Stubblefield’s parents didn’t know where their daughter would fit in with the Hornets, but have seen her grow as an athlete.

“She fits in well with the team chemistry and she takes that to heart,” her father, Bill, said. “We are so proud of what she has done.”

Hughes was surprised to find that Stubblefield had been learning new dismounts for her bars and vault routines, which made it easy to place her in the events, including the all-around.

“I didn’t know she was capable,” Hughes said. “On bars she had a new dismount, which takes a while to perfect, but she did it fast. It’s something you hope kids do.”

Stubblefield now has to adjust to a longer college schedule, as compared to her club days.

Stubblefield said that she only competed in six meets last year for clubs, but the Hornets are scheduled for 13 meets, not including the WAC Championship, the NCAA West Regional and the NCAA Championships.

“It’s a lot more (to take on), but it gets you more experience,” she said.

Karyn Gilbert can be reached at [email protected]