Meet the Cyclone Gymnasts: Briana Ledesma

AMES, Iowa - Briana Ledesma is looking to make a name for herself as an Iowa State gymnast. The San Antonio, Texas native is eager to compete, focusing on being a part of the team and earning her spot in the lineup. When asked what she's most excited for this season, the freshman replied, “Just to compete, to get out there and represent Iowa State gymnastics.”

Briana has been practicing gymnastics since she was four years old. Growing up as a gymnast limited her free time; she spent most days at practice or in the gym. The friends Ledesma had for most of her life she had met in kindergarten and understood how busy her life as a gymnast could be. Her family was also very supportive of her and her dream to become a collegiate athlete. Her siblings were all involved in sports and their parents encouraged them to pursue those sports into college.

When she first started at Aerial Athletics, Briana was placed with a group of older girls. The group competed together for seven years, and the older girls came to be role models for the young Ledesma. With former teammates at Auburn, LSU, Boise State, and Oklahoma, Ledesma was inspired by her friends on the team to pursue collegiate gymnastics. Watching them go through the process of being recruited and then getting to compete for college teams gave her the drive to follow in their footsteps.

To work towards this goal, Ledesma had to compete well at the club level. During her time at Aerial Athletics, Briana competed at the Junior Olympic Nationals twice. She also claimed the Level 8 regional title on floor in 2010 and was the 2009 Level 7 state champion. She received the Most Improved Gymnast award from her gym in 2012 and the A-Man award in 2014.

The road to Iowa State wasn't always easy. While Ledesma was at Aerial Athletics, she broke her foot, threatening her future in the sport. After reconstructive surgeries, six months in a splint, and three months of physical therapy, she was able to recover.

“They told me it was a slim chance that I would come back to being full potential, or even get to compete anymore,” Briana explained, but that didn't discourage her. “I was really determined to come back. I just put all fear aside, all possibilities of anything going wrong aside and told myself: I'm going to do gymnastics… I think overcoming that and proving them wrong was actually my greatest achievement.”

In the end, all the hard work and dedication paid off for Ledesma. She has competed on bars and vault for the Cyclones during the first two meets of the season. She is thrilled to have found a home at Iowa State and to be a part of another close knit gymnastics team. Briana is sure to continue working hard toward her goals and making a name for herself as a Cyclone gymnast.