ISU gymnastics coach Jay Ronayne called it a “break out season.”

Ronayne uses the phrase consistently when talking about Caitlin Brown. Coming off of a sophomore campaign hampered by injury, the team captain has put up career-high marks four times in just the first three meets.

Brown said that her success is, in part, due to her focus on her all-around skills.

“Last year I had a really good pre-season, but after I got hurt I was just ready to get through the season,” Brown said. “This year I had a similar pre-season, but I also really got my bars down a lot better and a lot cleaner than they had been … It’s not just three events with another I can do. I’m really starting to put all four events together.”

Ronayne said Brown wasn’t highly recruited in high school. The Apple Valley, Minn. native was even called “the worst vaulter in America” by her club coach. Nowadays, Brown laughs about her old tag, but admits that she had something to prove on that event.

“College coaches used to come in to recruit and I was new to that top level [of gymnastics] … I probably shouldn’t have been there,” Brown said. “I had a terrible vault, couldn’t do a vault well at all and he’d always tell the coaches I was the worst in America. It took some time but I got it down, so Jay [Ronayne] and I joke about it now.”

Ronayne saw Brown’s potential to become a stand-out gymnast, as Brown was a four-time level 10 Junior Olympic qualifier. Something Ronayne didn’t see coming, however, was Brown’s development into a leader in and out of the gym.

“I didn’t think Caitlin would become [a captain] when she was a freshman, but as a sophomore I was like ‘Woah … I’ve got my eye on her,’” Ronayne said. “At the end of her sophomore year I walked up to her and told her we only have two captains, but I wanted her to be one of them. She looked right at me and said ‘I will not let you down.’ What better response could a coach ask for?”

Brown’s ascent to leadership and success has not come without its struggles. Brown occasionally suffers from balking (sounds like walking), a mental condition that some gymnasts have that makes it mentally difficult to perform their routines, almost as if the brain is talking the body out of pulling off dangerous moves.

Ronayne said that it doesn’t keep Brown from competing at her highest level possible, though. He and his staff keep an eye on Brown at practice and know how to take care of the situation, should the issue arise.

“It’s something she and we as coaches have to be very cognizant of. We have to make sure that we’re paying attention,” Ronayne said. “She can get wrapped up in her head, but she does a great job at managing it. At times we just tell her, ‘You have to stop practicing right now.’ We’ll just take a step back and reset.”

Brown said she never has problems with balking at competitions, however, giving credit to her ability to flip a switch into “meet mode.” Brown’s teammates don’t have concerns that would ever change.

“Every gymnast feels more calm when they know the team believes they’re going to hit the routine,” said senior Camille Santerre-Gervais. “It gives you a good felling going into the meet … we all trust each other [to do our best].”

As Brown works to move forward, the season looks bright. Brown has won the all-around competition at one meet and twice finished in second place to Michigan’s Joanna Sampson and Oklahoma’s Erica Brewer, who were both First Team All-America selections last season.

Brown has also already set four personal records in the young season — floor (9.875), bars (9.800) and all-around twice (38.900 and 39.125) — and tied a team record with her 9.875 mark on the floor exercise, and Ronayne sees no reason for the success to stop here.

“Last year would’ve been the year, but this is it,” Ronayne said. “I mean, look at what she’s doing out there. I know we’re only two meets into the season, but keep an eye on her. This is the season for Caitlin.”