Senior Caitlin Brown has played a significant role in the development of the ISU gymnastics program during the course of the past four seasons and is now witnessing her collegiate career reach its conclusion. Here are a few notable details about the life and gymnastics career of Brown:

– She graduated from Apple Valley High School in 2011 — a school of approximately 1,650 students. Other notable alumni from Apple Valley include numerous Division I athletes, one of whom is freshman point guard Tyus Jones of Duke. Jones, who had one year of overlap with Brown at Apple Valley, currently averages 11.4 PPG, 5.7 APG and 3.6 RPG on 42.2 percent shooting for the Blue Devils.

– Brown’s hometown of Apple Valley, Minn., according to the 2013 census, holds a population of 50,201 — roughly 11,500 people smaller than Ames. Apple Valley, a suburb of the Twin Cities, was recently named the 17th best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine.

– Brown, more prominently in club competition, dealt with an issue called “balking” that provided an obstacle to her success as a gymnast. According to www.american-gymnast.com, balking is defined as “a fear of a skill — sometimes a completely irrational one — and one time becomes scared enough to actually abort the skill before even attempting it.” Balking, given time, tends to grow worse and worse, but in Brown’s case, she has been able to mostly overcome it in her collegiate career.

– At the Baton Rouge Regional in 2014, Brown recorded career highs in the vault and all-around competitions with scores of 9.875 and 39.400, respectively. Her all-around score was high enough to qualify her for the NCAA Championships in Birmingham, Ala., where she finished among the top 40 competitors in the beam and floor exercise with scores of 9.850 and 9.800, respectively.