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41 S enior Mitch Mandozzi has overcome physical and mental challenges to evolve into a great leader on the University of Iowa men's gymnastics team. Mandozzi's adversity began early. e Harvard, Massachusetts, native injured his shoulder during his senior year of high school, shortly aer signing with the Hawkeyes. He came to the university following shoulder surgery and gradually began his comeback. "It changed my whole gymnastics," Mandozzi said. "In club, I did all six events. I liked rings, but when I tore my shoulder, that wasn't a possibility. Part of the challenge wasn't coming back physically, but coming back mentally, because I was scared of reinjuring my shoulder and my career possibly being done." Mandozzi trusted himself, his trainers, and most importantly, the process. Once he started to trust the process and his coaching staff, Mandozzi was able to come into his true form. Despite the mental hang- ups, he persevered and competed in six meets his freshman year. He notched season bests on the vault (13.400) and parallel bars (13.500). Eventually, he added high bar to his lineup during his sophomore season and tallied more career-best scores. Iowa head coach JD Reive saw the biggest gains in Mandozzi's gymnastics in the summer of 2018. "e big piece was over the summer where he qualified for the U.S. Championships for the first time in the senior division, which is a huge accomplishment for somebody in that position," Reive said. "It catapulted him into great summer training. He was doing significantly more in the gym and the guys wanted him to be their next captain. "He was a participant and then transformed into a leader over the course of last year. Putting him in that position elevated him into a leadership spot that's had a big impact on these guys." Mandozzi's junior year was a pivotal point needed to return to where he thought he should have been. He qualified for the 2019 US Championships last summer. His 23rd-place all-around finish (61.750) included a 10th-place finish on parallel bars (13.500) and 12th- place finishes on floor (12.900) and vault (13.800). Mandozzi's leadership attributes go beyond gymnastics. Reive receives unprompted and positive feedback from professors, volunteer services, and academic services on Mandozzi. Some professors told Reive that Mandozzi even volunteers to do recycling during football games. "He does a lot on campus that always comes back to me in a great way," Reive said. "So, it's been fun watching him go from a scared freshman trying to figure out where he belonged, to a great leader now." Mandozzi credits his leadership style to the upperclassmen and captains who preceded him. "ey taught me how to be a responsible human, follow rules, and talk appropriately with superiors, whether it's your coach or your boss," Mandozzi said. "I'm just trying to spread that to the team and make sure they're good people and good athletes." MARCH SCHEDULE March 1 Illinois March 7 at Ohio State March 15 Michigan March 21 at Penn State vs. Minnesota