For 22-year-old senior gymnast Janet Anson, almost a lifetime devoted to gymnastics comes to an end this weekend in Salt Lake City.

On Thursday, Iowa State’s most decorated gymnast ever begins her quest for one final prize she’s never won – a national championship.

Despite Iowa State losing a heartbreaking tiebreaker with Oklahoma for second place and a qualifying spot at Nationals at the NCAA Central Regional, Anson performed well enough individually to qualify for all-around competition at the NCAA National Championship.

Anson has been tantalizingly close to winning at Nationals before. In 2005, she took the runner-up spot on vault, the highest finish ever by a Cyclone at Nationals. Last year, she tied for third on floor exercise and fourth on vault.

The Kansas City, Mo., native intends to make her fourth and final trip to Nationals her most successful yet.

“[My confidence level] is pretty high. All my meets this season have been very good, and practice went good this week,” Anson said Monday after practicing in the Amy and Dennis Pyle Family Gymnastics Facility one last time. “I’m just ready to go out and do it. I would say that I have the drive to do it a little more with it being my last year.”

Anson’s road to the finals, however, is far from easy. Thursday’s first session is perhaps her toughest competition of the year, with the seven-time All-American having to outlast gymnasts from, nationally, No. 1 SEC powerhouse Florida, No. 2 Georgia and No. 3 Alabama, as well as Big 12 Conference rivals No. 6 Nebraska and No. 10 Oklahoma – not to mention the resurging, tied-for-eighth Oregon State squad.

In an effort to score higher against top-tier competition, Anson and her coaches have a few tricks up their sleeves. Anson says depending on how well she warms up, she might take a risk or two.

“We added a side somi, which is a front flip with a quarter twist, on beam, and I have a second vault prepared if I make it to finals,” Anson said. “It’s kind of a little more risky, but really any routine you hit you’re going to score well. It’s just if you leave that good impression on the judge, which adding one more thing to your routine will, so I’m hoping it will be a reward rather than a punishment.”

ISU gymnastics coach Jay Ronayne pointed out that history shows the odds are stacked against any individual gymnast who competes at Nationals without her team also competing, but an individual like Anson winning is not out of the question.

“Only one athlete that I’m aware of has ever won the all-around national championship who was not on a team that was [at Nationals], so it can be done,” Ronayne said.

However, Ronayne believes Anson has an excellent chance of winning a national championship in at least one event, or even in the all-around.

“She does everything as good or better than anyone in the country,” Ronayne said. “She should be a national champion in at least one event. She has the potential to be the national champion in the all-around.”

Anson’s teammates agree. Freshman Jody McKellar said it’s been a privilege having Anson as a senior leader and points to the example Anson has set for the younger Cyclone gymnasts as inspiration.

“I think she has a very good chance of getting in the top three in the all-around, even getting first all-around if she hits,” McKellar said. “I’m sure she’ll be up there.”