It takes a special kind of athlete to compete at the national level in collegiate athletics.

What makes Penn State gymnast Brandi Personett even more special is that she is competing at the elite level as a freshman.

Personett was the only gymnast representing Penn State University at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships held in Salt Lake City, Utah, starting Thursday. She placed 9th in the all-around event and 11th in the floor exercise.

Competing against numerous other gymnasts, most of which were upperclassmen, showed Personett how tough the competition is nationwide, but she took it as positive experience.

"I learned so much from this event," Personett said. "Next year though, we will have the whole team here."

Personett finished with a score of 9.825 on floor to take 11th and a 39.100 in the all-around to secure 9th place. She also posted scores of 9.775 on both the uneven bars and vault and a 9.725 on balance beam.

These scores were not up to standards she had set for herself following her performances during the season. As the reigning Big Ten champion in the all-around and the vault, Personett had higher expectations of herself going into competition at nationals.

"I did well, but the judges saw that I was by myself, so it was tough," she said. "It was also really hard to get excited without all my teammates at the meet with me."

Personett was accompanied to Utah by Penn State head coach Steve Shephard and assistant coach Jessica Bastardi. Though her teammates could not be in Salt Lake City to support her, they did their best to make sure Personett knew that they were fully in her corner.

"We called her every chance we got to check up on her and let her know we were thinking about her," sophomore Katie Perret said. "She represented Penn State gymnastics with pride, and we are all so very proud of her."

The end of the season marks the end of Personett's freshman year, but Perret believes it is only the beginning of great things to come for the young gymnast.

"Brandi is a great spirit; she has the fire that we need as a team," Perret said.

"She is going to be a great leader one day."

Personett knows that by competing at nationals, she propelled Penn State's name out across the nation as a serious force for upcoming years. And as a major contributor to this season's success, she looks to be an integral part in the coming years.

"We're moving into the training aspect now, learning new skills and polishing what we already do well," Personett said. "We're getting the new freshman excited about what we have going on here, and we're going to continue to build to show everyone how great this program can be."