Kendall Abney: Raising the Bar

By: Jada Mohon

Michigan State gymnastics all-arounder Kendall Abney has become a rising leader in the team's lineup this season. From being an exhibition on bars in the beginning of her career, to a top performer in two events for the Spartans.

Abney is not only progressing in her sport, but in the classroom as well.

Off the mats, she is a junior in nursing, a major known for its rigorous schedule and classwork. Abney started her education at MSU as a kinesiology major, but after talking to a CRNA, she learned her passion led her to nursing. She is undecided which specialty she will pursue, but her commitment, as well as discipline, has been put to the test. Balancing clinicals, practices, competition, and travels, Abney is working hard as a student and an athlete.

"When I was 6, I broke my arm and that's when I knew I wanted to do something in the medical field," Abney said.

She admired the medical professionals taking care of her during her recovery and found interest in the on-the-go lifestyle of nursing.

Abney faced another obstacle years later at 15 when she underwent a corrective surgery on both of her arms to even the alignment. This surgery put Abney out of gymnastics for months, forcing her to focus on her mental toughness without the sport that she was involved in her entire life.

"It wasn't much of a setback, but flash forward to early high school, I had surgery on both of my arms, and that was a major setback," Abney said. "It was definitely tough but I also think there was a lot of growth in me personally, like growing outside of gymnastics."

During this time, Abney, the Belleville, Michigan native, reflects the opportunities she had with her free time while recovering from surgery. Going on spring break with her family for the first time in years, and exploring her future career path. She was able to speak with nurses and learn more about the profession, securing her decision that that's what she wanted to do in the future, despite the challenges of balancing her career with her sport.

Abney finds support from her MSU teammates and coaches to ease the stress of a heavy class load and lengthy practices.

"With nursing being in cohorts you can't shift classes… so if this is gonna work, I really wanted to do both but I needed them [coaches] to be on my side too," Abney said. "They've been very helpful, last semester there were a couple days where I practiced by myself,"

Abney frequently practices at different times than her teammates, sometimes working alone or with just a coach in the gym. She learned to encourage herself and hold herself accountable to progress in the sport. Instead of being a difficulty, those individual practices turned into motivation to be better.

Abney earned herself a spot in the lineup for her junior season as an all-around performer after spending most of her career being an exhibition on bars. She spent time in the gym perfecting her routines, eventually increasing her scores to earn her spot in the lineup.

Abney and Head Coach Mike Rowe had many conversations discussing what it would take for her to earn a spot in the lineup, and Rowe said it was her consistency that earned her the spot.

"She was our exhibition on bars all season last year and just couldn't break the 9.8 mark, most teams would tear their eyes out to have a consistent 9.8 like that on their bars in their lineup," Rowe said. "She would come in and work her tail off without her teammates here and no one was cheering her on except one or two of us that were in here," he added.

Not only is Abney consistent in her progress on events, but also her support and leadership as a teammate.

"She's a leader by example, vocally, she's very supportive for her teammates, cheers for her teammates," Rowe said.

Abney always gave and received immense support from her teammates, even when her schedule pulled her in different directions. She found balance and inspiration from that support, reminding her that she's part of something greater than herself. Knowing her teammates are there for her throughout her tough class and practice schedules relieves the stress of being a student athlete.

"The support means everything," Abney said. "Knowing that I can go to people, my coaches do a really good job of asking, because they know I don't talk a lot," she added.

Junior Gabi Ortiz highlighted the impact of Abney's support on the team culture.

"She gives the team a lot of confidence," Ortiz said. "We bounce positivity back and forth between each other," she added.

Abney's journey with the Spartans so far has been proof of perseverance, dedication, and hard work, but she still sets the bar higher for herself.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to get better, I can pick apart my routine so much all the time and I'm excited to continue to work on those little details and get one step better each time," Abney said.

Michigan State University Athletics

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