More on Rock Hill's Ashley Shepard

Shepard an A-plus Student-Athlete
Courtesy: NC State

BY TIM PEELER

RALEIGH, N.C. – Ashley Shepard never sweats the arrival of mail at the end of each semester.

After three-and-a-half years at NC State, the mailman always brings the same news when grades are announced: another round of A-pluses.

The senior gymnast from Rock Hill, S.C., is one of 21 NC State student-athletes who currently carry a cumulative grade point average of 4.0. If she can continue that through her final semester this spring, when she completes her degree in microbiology, she will become the third consecutive Wolfpack gymnast to earn valedictorian honors at spring commencement.

The other two, Brooke Outland and Mackenzie Payne, were both roommates of Shepard at one time during her college career, and she credits them for creating an academic atmosphere and fueling her drive to be successful in the classroom. Both have since enrolled at the University of North Carolina, Outland in law school and Payne in dental school.

“They were awesome,” said Shepard, a three-time All-East Atlantic Gymnastics League Academic Selection and a three-time member of the All-ACC Honor Roll. “Brooke was a senior when I was a sophomore and we roomed together, then when she left Mackenzie and I roomed together. I have always been in that environment. It was especially good to have Mackenzie there. She was in a lot of my classes, so we could converse.

“She was just as driven as me to do well.”

The mailman recently brought Shepard some other good news: her acceptance letter to the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, where she will spend the next three years working on a medical degree in physical therapy.

Though Shepard has never been injured during her gymnastics career, Shepard says watching her teammates go through difficult rehabilitations inspired her to pursue physical therapy.

“I didn’t know that is what I wanted to do until my sophomore year here,” Shepard said. “I did a little bit of research and found that I liked it. I also saw what my teammates have been through and I have seen it work. I know how much it helps get someone back competing again.”

Shepard knows that there are no guarantees that she will have another perfect semester. But she says there have only been a few classes in her college career that really made her sweat whether she would receive an A or an A-plus. Both organic chemistry classes were hard for her, but everything else was fairly intuitive.

“There is a little bit more pressure than before, just because it is the last semester and I don’t want to screw it up now,” Shepard said. “But I think I will be okay. I haven’t come close yet to not getting an A.”

That doesn’t mean she hasn’t had to work hard to get all of her grades. Gymnasts follow a rigorous workout schedule and, like all student-athletes, Shepard had to be well-organized and motivated.

“I have never turned in anything late, but I have pulled some all-nighters,” said Shepard. “I always have to be on top of things to make sure I get ahead, especially when there are things I might not be around for when I am traveling with the team.

“I try to turn things in early. It gets a little hectic when we are working hard in the gym or going somewhere, just to keep up with it all.”

Gymnastics coach Mark Stevenson praises Shepard’s work ethic, in the classroom and in the gym. She arrived as a walk-on, but earned a scholarship after her sophomore season. She has been a consistent contributor throughout her career, particularly in her best event, the floor. She competed in every meet on floor as a freshman and was an All-EAGL selection on floor as a freshman and sophomore.

“She does everything we have ever asked her to do and she does it correctly,” said the coach, who has four members of his team carrying a 4.0 grade point average at the moment. “The thing about gymnastics is that, bottom-line, we don’t have professional athletics for our kids to go to. Generally speaking they are going to go out and get a job and use their degree to be highly functional people in our society in a short period of time.

“I think Ashley is going to be very successful in life.”

Shepard has also competed on vault during her career, but right now, the floor is her only event, as the Wolfpack welcome in nine talented freshmen who have worked their way into the lineup in various events. Shepard and fellow seniors Elyse Adams and Dru Davis are expected to provide leadership throughout the season.

“I will lead by example on the floor, but otherwise I will be a cheerleader and motivator on the sidelines in the other events that I am not specifically competing in,” Shepard said. “You can be a leader in a lot of different ways. You don’t have to compete in every event.”

And, as a leader, Shepard is likely to get another A-plus.

Ashley's State Information