Free State High senior Natalie Rainbolt always had a goal of competing at the Div. I level in gymnastics and earning a full scholarship.

She made that a reality at the end of March, orally committing to Utah State University.

“I took a visit out there in February, and the teammates and the coaches were all very encouraging,” Rainbolt said. “They just made me feel welcome, like I was already a part of the team, so that was really cool.”

Utah State offered Rainbolt a scholarship during her visit, and it took her about two months to decide after weighing other college offers.

Rainbolt’s commitment was the exclamation point to her spring season, which featured change and an abrupt ending.

“I recently switched gyms, and it’s been definitely a positive thing,” said Rainbolt, who is a level-10 gymnast, which is the highest level. “My season went pretty well. I didn’t get to compete at nationals because of an injury, but it was good.”

Rainbolt switched gyms after her former coach left her old gym. She now works out the Fuzion Gymnastics Center in Kearney, Missouri, under coaches Jackie Flanery-Heredia and Michael Heredia.

A bone bruise in her foot cost her a chance to compete at the Junior Olympic Nationals in May, but she took fourth place in the all-around at the level-10 Missouri State Championships in the Senior A session. She also finished third on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.

“State wasn’t actually a very good meet, but I improved a lot over the season,” Rainbolt said.

Earlier in the year, Rainbolt finished second in the all-around at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas, after taking second in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. At the Junior Olympic Nationals in Minneapolis in 2013, Rainbolt tied for eighth place in the floor exercise.

As she recovers from the bone bruise, she plans to take it slowly before preparing for next spring.

“I have one more week of not doing anything, and then I’m planning go to the Utah State camp at the end of July,” Rainbolt said. “The (gymnastics) season doesn’t really start until January, so I have awhile.”