Senior Spotlight: Hadley Roberts
February 24, 2023 | Gymnastics
Hadley Roberts had her mind set on her gymnastics career being over after her final meet at Lindenwood University last year. It wasn't until a call from Jen Llewellyn and Cody Llewellyn that she could see a path for continued competition in the sport she loved.
Roberts was recruited to Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri by the Llewellyns – Jen, who served as the head coach at the Division-II powerhouse for nine seasons, and Cody, who was hired as an assistant coach and served three seasons.
She recalls Jen coming to her club gym, St. Louis Gym Centre, her freshman year of high school and being nervous but excited to have her first college coach watching her gymnastics.
"I remember her complimenting my leotard the first time we met," Roberts said. "I was thinking how crazy it was that there was a college coach there to video tape me."
The summer before her senior year of high school Roberts committed to Lindenwood. Her club coach mentioned that she thought Roberts would be happiest at Lindenwood since she knew Jen as a coach.
The school, and the gymnastics experience, definitely lived up to expectations.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Roberts holds career-highs of 9.900 on beam and 9.825 on floor. She has performed her floor routine in each meet this season for the GymDawgs, earning a 9.825 on three different occasions (last against #24 Stanford on Feb. 20).
She was a USAG first-team All-American (beam) and USAG second-team All-American (floor) during her 2021 campaign at Lindenwood.
DIFFERENT SCHOOL, SAME COACHES
Roberts competed under Jen Llewellyn during her first three years in a Lindenwood leotard before Llewellyn took the head coaching position at Washington prior to the 2022 season.
Coaching-wise, Jen and Cody haven't changed a bit, Roberts said. They still promote a positive culture in their team and demonstrate just how much they care for their student-athletes.
"Their heart is in the same place that it was at Lindenwood, and you can see that," Roberts said. "Just because you're at a higher ranked school doesn't mean they have changed anything about their style of coaching. This year it's been great to see them in this position at Washington and see how successful this team has been so far."
Some things never change.
Thank you, @RobertsHadley ??
— Washington Gymnastics (@UWGymnastics) February 24, 2023
HADLEY'S STORY: https://t.co/h1jaiWaDDX#GoHuskies x #Unleashed pic.twitter.com/VMhiTDiGav
IT AIN'T OVER TIL IT'S OVER
Roberts saluted her final routine, at her final meet, in her final year at Lindenwood, but felt in her gut that something was off – and not quite over.
"I remember running over and hugging my mom and crying," Roberts said. "I told her that I didn't feel that this was the end of my career and somehow there was more to come."
In retrospect, Roberts said that her mom admitted she had no idea what to say to her daughter in that moment.
Even though she felt incomplete with her gymnastics career, Roberts spent the next few months away from the sport, until another unanticipated call from Jen and Cody rang through.
"It was the perfect opportunity -- to end my gymnastics career at Washington," Roberts said.
It's been special to finish her career with the coaches she started her collegiate gymnastics journey with, and to do it alongside a new teammate who grew up right alongside Roberts.
"It's crazy because Kennedi (Davis) and I grew up so close to each other," Roberts said. "Coming here, right off the bat we clicked and were really close. We really get each other because we have very similar backgrounds – of gymnastics and family. It's just nice to have somebody here who gets those values, is from the same place as you, who has kind of seen you grow up."
Despite taking different paths – Roberts at Lindenwood and Davis at Arizona and Washington – the two are glad that their journeys merged in the final year of their careers.
MAINTAINING MOTIVATION IN YEAR FIVE
The little girl who fell in love with gymnastics at the age of three, after watching her older sister do it, that is what keeps Roberts going.
Her younger self never could have imagined she'd be in this position, taking her fifth season of college gymnastics at a Division-I program.
"I'm motivated to keep going and keep competing when I look back at how far I've come," Roberts said. "You can surprise yourself by pushing yourself and going outside your boundaries. I'm so grateful for all of this because I could not have imagined being in this position. Even a year ago I thought my life was going to go in a completely different direction."
NEXT STEPS
As the first person in her family to earn a master's degree, Roberts is excited to use what she has learned in her Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership master's courses at UW and apply those concepts to a career in sports.
She hopes to take the lessons she's learned through gymnastics as well and utilize those in whatever she decides to do next.
The friendships she's made through the sport, especially at the college level and being at two different schools, will stick with her for a lifetime.
Roberts will be moving to Nashville to live with teammate Davis, while both figure out their next steps in life. She's excited to watch both Lindenwood and Washington compete next season and maintain the bonds with coaches and teammates that she's solidified over the years.
"It's nice to be able to come into practice and love what you're doing, and love the people you're surrounding yourself with," Roberts said.
If she could speak directly with her freshman year self, Roberts would remind her to keep going, keep pushing, and focus on her why.
"There will always be a better outcome than what you think there will be," Roberts said. "Be excited for the future because if younger me knew where I was today, oh my goodness she'd be happy."
Players Mentioned
