Ellie LaFountain competes in a meet at Ursinus College. SUBMITTED PHOTO
It’s a designation that every college athlete in America would love to hear before their name.
Biddeford native Ellie LaFountain earned that title recently when she finished tied for fifth in the floor exercise at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Division III Individual Championships.
“It was incredible. I heard some of my other teammates (talk about) their first time getting All-American … it was shocking and I was really excited that I did it,” said LaFountain, who is a sophomore at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
LaFountain is hoping to make a trip to nationals and a spot on the podium an annual occurrence.
“(Earning All-American status) also just made me really excited to do this in the future. I want to keep going back to nationals and keep trying to get All-American in other events,” said LaFountain, who is a Cheverus High School graduate.
LaFountain saved her best performance for last as she notched a career-best 9.825 in the floor routine at nationals, which beat her previous personal best of 9.800 from the East Region Championships.
The sophomore finished second at the East Region and was confident that she could earn a spot on the podium at nationals.
“I was pretty optimistic, and I knew it was (possible), so that’s why I really worked hard to do well at nationals because that’s the meet where it really mattered,” said LaFountain, who first tried gymnastics when she was seven.
This was the second trip to nationals for LaFountain, but it was her first appearance as an individual performer after making the trip with the Ursinus team last year.
“That was my first trip as an individual to nationals. Last year, we qualified as a team. Competing as an individual is a lot different. It’s a different type of pressure on yourself I would say,” said LaFountain. “I went in knowing that what I did that day, for once in my entire college experience, was for me. It was different and it was honestly a little harder for me because I’m used to having to do a routine for my team, but this time was more for myself which was bizarre … but my coaches prepared me well and told me to just do the same routine that I do every day at practice and at all my meets and I was able to do that.”
LaFountain credits her time with Dudziak’s Gymnastics in Biddeford with helping prepare her for the college level.
“It helped me a lot. Both my coaches (Roxanne Deshaies and Mallory Green) were actually college gymnasts, so they prepared me and my teammates well to come into college gymnastics and figure out how to train,” LaFountain said.
LaFountain is hoping to maintain her success in the floor exercise while also becoming a better performer in the vault and bars over her final two college seasons.
“I’d like to continue my floor experience, but I’d also like to qualify next year as an individual in another event — most likely would be vault. I’m also looking to compete (in) bars more regularly next season,” LaFountain said.
— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @JournalTsports.
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