It was a dream come true, a storybook ending for the senior gymnast. Named co-captain of the team, Nikki Bongiovanni had finally put the painful 2000 season behind her. With the weight of the team resting upon her pint-sized 5-foot-1-inch frame, Bongiovanni was hoping to ride off into the sunset, to end her collegiate career with success and victory.

With one fall on the uneven bars, however, Bongiovanni's hopes and dreams came crashing down unceremoniously.

As rocker Jon Bongiovi, known more commonly as Jon Bon Jovi, states in the song, "Just Older," "I've been up and down and in between, after all these years, can you believe I'm still chasing that dream?" In fifth-year senior Bongiovanni's eyes, the song lyric could epitomize her development as a Penn State gymnast.

The story of Bon Jovi is one of great achievement and determination. Formed in the early 1980s, Bon Jovi, comprised of lead singer Bongiovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, and drummer Tico Torres, climbed to the top of the rock industry before unraveling in the early 90s due to inner stress and creative differences. After a brief hiatus, however, Bon Jovi returned, more powerful than before, to once again regain a share of the spotlight.

Like her famous distant cousin, Bongiovanni has returned, stronger than ever, to lead her band of gymnasts to the top of the charts.

Born into an athletic family on Feb. 2, 1980, in Meriden, Conn., Bongiovanni began participating in gymnastics events at the age of five. Training for the C.A.T.S. club, which was coached by prestigious instructor Byron Knox, Bongiovanni competed with the Junior National team for three years and attended Maloney H.S. before entering Penn State.

A media studies major, Bongiovanni competed in all of her meets in 1999, her freshman season. With a third-place showing at regionals on the bars and a career high all-around score of 39.075 against Ohio State, Bongiovanni seemed destined for great success come 2000.

The 2000 season came and went, and with it went a year of Bongiovanni's eligibility. Redshirted due to a knee injury, Bongiovanni overcame adversity and regained her form as the 2001 season approached.

Bongiovanni's junior season was extremely successful, with the again-healthy gymnast recording seven single-event top-three finishes and claiming the first event title of her career with a personal best of 9.925 on the uneven bars at the Burnsley Invitational. Bongiovanni also showed significant talent during the Big Ten championships, where she recorded the Lions' top scores on the vault and bars.

With her junior season completed, Bongiovanni looked forward to the leadership role she would hold during the upcoming season, a season that she hoped would become a culmination of her athletic achievements.

"I was really excited to be a captain," she said, "and I just wanted to end everything on a good note."

As Bongiovanni slipped on the bars with her arm extended above her head during a winter practice, however, every dream and goal possessed by the senior had been erased in one fell swoop. She would miss the entire year with a shoulder injury.

"It was really tough for her last year, an ordeal," Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard said. "Her injury caused her a lot of emotional turmoil."

Once again, injury had been brutally untimely and tragic for the Bongiovanni family.

As a freshman at the University of Connecticut, Terry Bongiovanni, Nikki's father, had the world at his fingertips. Drafted by the New York Yankees, "the terror," as he was known, swiftly pitched his way through the minor leagues, finding success and closing in on his dreams. Before establishing himself at the major league level, however, Bongiovanni was hindered by an elbow injury, a wound that would shatter his dreams and prematurely end any hopes of a long and fruitful career in pinstripes.

"He's very content with his life, and he has found happiness," said Bongiovanni, proudly, of her father, who now owns Bongiovanni Insurance and Investments in Meriden.

Bongiovanni, a classic leader by example, found it difficult to stay positive while sidelined with her shoulder injury.

"It was really hard for me to be the captain last season and not be able to help the team out," Bongiovanni said.

Unable to face the possibility that her collegiate career may have ended, Bongiovanni decided to begin training and rehabilitating for the 2003 season, even before she could be sure that her wishes for an extra year of eligibility would be granted.

"She had such a desire to come back, and nobody could doubt her commitment," Penn State women's gymnastics assistant coach Jessica Bastardi said.

With over a year to mentally prepare for her comeback, Bongiovanni set her sights on the Super Six, Penn State's first competition of the 2003 season. Filled with energy and determination, Bongiovanni returned in top form, finishing ninth overall and leading Penn State with a total of 38.900.

The layoff has evidently worked wonders for Bongiovanni, who has become a measure of consistency and leadership for the Nittany Lions. One of only three gymnasts to currently compete in each event, Bongiovanni has helped the squad rebound from a dismal 2002 campaign.

"Nikki has confidence in herself, and it is contagious to everybody around her. She is a great leader by example," Bastardi said.

As Bon Jovi states: "You can't win until you're not afraid to lose." By challenging insurmountable odds and facing certain defeat, Bongiovanni has emerged, victorious.