Senior Spotlight: Kennedi Davis
February 22, 2023 | Gymnastics
Kennedi Davis, who transferred to Washington from the University of Arizona at the beginning of the 2022 season, is grateful that her journey brought her to Seattle.
Coming from Blue Springs, Missouri, Davis always knew that she wanted to go out of state for college and continue her gymnastics career at the collegiate level.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Davis competed at Arizona her freshman and sophomore years, taking her COVID year during her junior campaign when she focused on academics without gymnastics.
Davis recently earned a new career-high on her beam routine with a 9.950 against Stanford (Feb. 20), improving on her previous best of 9.900 that she earned three times during the 2022 season.
Davis has been a consistent presence in the vault and beam lineups this season, earning a career-high 9.850 vault in the Wasatch Classic (Jan. 14).
A TRANSITION TO WASHINGTON
Her club coaches back in Missouri knew Washington coaches Jen Llewellyn and Cody Llewellyn personally and, after finding out that Jen had been named head coach, encouraged Davis to look into taking her talents to UW.
"The process of transferring was stressful," Davis said about her transition from Arizona to Washington. "It was definitely worth it because it helped me realize what I wanted and what I was looking for."
Davis obviously didn't plan on making the move when she committed to Arizona her sophomore year of high school, but entering the transfer portal helped her gain some much needed perspective on what she was looking for in an institution and gymnastics program.
Delving into various schools and their gymnastics teams solidified for Davis a need for a positive culture.
In particular, she was impressed with how highly Jen and Cody valued the culture of their programs and how they implemented their values into how they interacted with the team. Witnessing how the coaching staff at Washington worked with each gymnast individually to help build the program was inspiring for Davis.
Thank you, @Kennedi_davis ??
— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) February 22, 2023
KENNEDI'S STORY: https://t.co/tAkWRhNVcK#GoHuskies x #Unleashed pic.twitter.com/lu7Cz904mh
LIFE IN SEATTLE
Since her club coaches spoke highly of Jen and her gymnastics philosophy, Davis knew what to expect when stepping foot on Washington's campus. School, however, has been an adjustment.
"At first, school was a complete 180 from Arizona," Davis said. "Being able to know that I'm doing well in my classes here – at such a high-level academic school – is worth any stress I have about it. I have to put in the work, but the reward is so much better than what I would have gotten anywhere else."
Davis looks back fondly on her two seasons sporting a Washington leotard, dating back to her first time taking the stage at Purple & Gold last season. Even though it didn't count toward Washington's record, Davis remembers that day feeling as if this was where she needed to be.
Having a positive culture right off the bat at UW served as motivation to push herself even more as she wanted to be in lineups and be a part of the change that was happening in the program.
From year one to year two, Davis has felt more and more comfortable finding her voice as a veteran leader on the team. Last year she led primarily by example but this season has found her voice – hoping to remind her fellow gymnasts that everyone has their backs and will help each other along the way.
LEADERSHIP STYLES
As one of six seniors on the 2023 GymDawg squad, Davis appreciates how each and every one of them brings a different leadership style to the table. With a team of nine underclassmen, including six freshmen, being able to provide different avenues for leadership in the gym has helped the team blossom into what it is today.
Having some who lead by example, some vocal leaders, and some a combo of the two – every non-senior gymnast has a different style they can adapt to and learn from.
Having a young group this year has been a learning curve for everyone, including the veterans – who have worked to ensure the freshmen can experience the easiest transition possible into collegiate gymnastics.
"The freshmen are coming into an entirely new world of gymnastics," Davis said. "It's completely different than club. But we're all just excited and motivated to see how far we can push ourselves this year. We all want the same things, and we're working together to make it happen."
ADVICE TO DAVIS' YOUNGER SELF
With all the effort and commitment required to succeed in gymnastics at the collegiate level, Davis feels that she has done a good job of balancing her world in athletics with the rest of her life – a difficult task for many college student-athletes.
"When I'm in practice, I'm in practice and that's it," Davis said. "I just make sure that when I'm in the gym for those four hours, gymnastics is all that I am thinking about. When I leave the gym, it's done. I want to be able to have a life and an identity that isn't strictly tied to gymnastics."
While she'll admit her freshman year self was a much different person, Davis believes her younger self would be proud of where she is today and how far she's come.
NEXT STEPS
Davis is moving to Nashville after finishing her degree and gymnastics career at Washington. She will be living with fellow senior Hadley Roberts and pursuing a job in medical sales.
Davis still plans to use her undergraduate degree in early childhood and family studies to eventually become a teacher. For now, she wants to see what opportunities are out there, travel a bit, and enjoy having more hours of her day figure out what's next for her.
THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
Davis' sister, who is seven years older, is one of her main inspirations. Going to the gym together when they were younger all the way through both of their college gymnastics careers, family has been a steady and consistent motivator for Davis.
Her older sister works in the medical field and competed at the University of Pennsylvania, Davis said of her sister.
Getting to compete alongside Roberts, who grew up nearby in Kirkwood, Missouri, has been a highlight of her final year of competition.
The duo looks forward to seeing what path lies ahead of them after college and experiencing a new city and new lifestyle together.
"It's exciting to compete with her and I love watching her get the opportunity to be at this high level and at this university," Davis said, of Roberts. "She always works for it, so she deserves it. We were friends who competed at the same camps back in Missouri, so it's crazy to think of how small the world is and that we are on a team together now. She's someone that I really needed."
