Senior Reflections: Claudia Salinas
Mar 01 | Women's Gymnastics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers gymnastics will honor its five-member senior class this Sunday at the Livingston Gym following a 2 p.m. quad meet. This class has broken records, qualified for NCAA Regionals and more during their careers.
Claudia Salinas (Allendale, N.J.) has competed in 39 meets so far for the Scarlet Knights on balance beam, holding a career-high mark of 9.875. She has been consistent throughout, but has posted at least a 9.700 in six of seven meets in 2016.
Salinas has been to NCAA Regionals twice, going as an individual in 2013 and with the team in 2014. She was named to the EAGL All-Academic Team in 2014 as well and earned EAGL First Team All-Balance Beam as a freshman.
Here is Salinas in her own words on her career…
On the beginning of her gymnastics career: "I started gymnastics when I was two years old, but I'd say it started getting more serious when I was eight years old. I really started getting into competition and doing well when I would compete. From then on I just knew that college gymnastics was where I wanted to be."
On getting to Rutgers: "Rutgers entered the picture my junior year of high school. I have known Lou (Levine) since I was about 10 years old, so we kept in contact over the years. I knew I wanted to stay closer to home because I'm a Jersey native and that Rutgers was a great team. This is where I wanted to be."
On the transformation of the team over the past four years: "It's been almost overwhelming being able to see the amount of growth Rutgers has done over the past four years and to be a part of it. It is just something so special and I'm glad that I was able to do that."
On favorite Rutgers gymnastics memories: "My favorite team memory was definitely making regionals my sophomore year. There was nothing more exciting than to be in that sort of competitive environment with all the girls you train day in and day out with. My favorite personal accomplishment was probably making regionals individually as a freshman for the balance beam."
On balance beam: "Beam is the biggest love/hate relationship of my life. Luckily, it's something that came easily to me, but it is the most mental event I would have to say. It's a constant struggle to battle with yourself to get through the assignments and have a strong mind."
On being a part of the team: "There is nothing compared to the relationships that you build with teammates over the four years of college. These girls are so much more than teammates, they're family for real."
On the future: "I'm a psychology major and I took all of the science courses as well, so I'm going to be going for my master's in occupational therapy after Rutgers."
On Rutgers in general: "Just the big school atmosphere was something really special that a lot of places wouldn't be able to offer the way Rutgers did. There is always so much spirit and energy all the time."
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