On January 29, 2022, Lynnzee Brown’s fifth year of competition abruptly ended in heartbreaking fashion: The Denver all-around star tore her Achilles for the second time in her career during the Pioneers’ meet at Oklahoma.
Between the extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic and her two Achilles tears, Brown was eligible to take a sixth year and seized the opportunity. At first, she wasn’t thinking about a potential sixth year. She was focused on supporting her team and staying in the moment. As time went on, she realized she’d be eligible for a sixth year. The ultimate motivator to come back? Her team.
“I am really understanding what the value of a team is and having the mindset of this is my last year three times over really made me think about the relationships and what that means,” Brown said. “It is something I took for granted previously. And this year, I’m really taking advantage of it because I know how valuable it is.”
As much as the individual accolades are exciting, Brown has especially embraced a team-first mentality this season. The team slowly eased her back into lineups, starting with bars and beam, then vault, and finally floor. Earlier this season she noted the pacing, remarking they were making sure she was…
