In a sport where one is forced to shine as an individual, few shone as brightly this season in NIU gymnastics as senior Tanya Rachan.

Rachan came on strong in her season year, and was named the No. 6 on the top 10 NIU athletes of the season.

Overall, Rachan averaged 9.692 on vault, 9.552 on balance beam and a blistering 9.786 on floor for the season.

“I felt this year was very successful not only as an individual but as a team,” Rachan said. “It felt great to peak as a senior and obtain new season highs on both vault and floor.”

Not only did Rachan set to team season highs on vault with 9.850 and floor with 9.900 (twice), those were both career highs as well.

Rachan placed in the top 3 in vault, beam, or floor, a combined 15 times this year, including five first place finishes on floor.

In the MAC championships, Rachan knocked out her second 9.900 on floor of the season, which garnered her second place, as well as the honor of getting to stand on the podium for finishing in the top qualifying scores.

Rachan also utilized those high scores on floor to qualify as a specialist for regionals, a difficult task for a specialist.

“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my teammates, my coaches Sam and Nita, and my family,” Rachan said. “This team we have had has by far been the best team chemistry I’ve ever experienced. I’m definitely going to miss it.”