Baldwin’s Kalwarski to tumble into 2-sport status at West Liberty

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, December 3, 2017 | 2:54 PM

Hanna Kalwarski, a two-sport athlete at Baldwin, will maintain that status when she embarks on her college career.

Kalwarski, 17, recently signed a letter of intent to attend West Liberty University, where she will compete in acrobatics and tumbling — one of the nation's fastest-growing intercollegiate sports — and in track and field.

Kalwarski is a fourth-year gymnast at Baldwin and a pole-vault specialist.

“Hanna is a tough competitor and wants to lead her team to another state championship this year,” Jodi Cummings, Baldwin's gymnastics coach, said. “Her strongest event is the floor exercise, but she has been working hard to improve her uneven bars.”

Kalwarski considered a dozen schools before narrowing it to five.

Her final five consisted of West Liberty, Adrian, Alderson Broaddus, Converse and Davis and Elkins, in that order.

“It was a very hard decision,” said Kalwarski, who will major in biology with plans of becoming a physician's assistant. “I had (considered) 12 colleges at the beginning from all around the United States before I got it down to five. After that, I had to think about acro and tumbling, but I also wanted to continue to pole vault.

“West Liberty is not only giving me an acrobatics and tumbling scholarship, but I'm also getting a track and field scholarship as well. Just like every other student, I have to unfortunately worry about debt. West Liberty has my major, and they have one of the top programs in the United States.”

West Liberty is a public university located in West Liberty, W.Va., and is a member of the NCAA Division II Mountain East Conference. The school's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers, and their inaugural season of competition in acrobatics and tumbling will take place in the spring of 2018.

“I have been on the campus two times. It is very nice,” Karlarski said. “It is a small college, but it feels very big. We are the Hilltoppers, and the campus represents it very well — it has big hills. The football field is new and the gym is very nice. They are in the process of building the track and field stadium. And even more importantly, they have a brand new science building, and it is gorgeous.”

Karlwarski has been in a strenuous “recovery mode” since last spring.

She had MPFL reconstructive knee surgery in May and has been rehabbing for seven months. She is the lone senior on the Baldwin gymnastics team and is expected to return to competition in January.

“My No. 1 expectation this year is to make it back with a smooth recovery,” Kalwarski said. “I have been working out very hard to get back to the level I need to be at. I still have some work to do, but I will be back for my senior season.

“I have always had problems with my knees. I do not have any muscle holding my kneecap in place, so it shifts off frequently. I have a cadaver part in my knee with a new muscle so it lessens the chance of it happening again. It has happened many times before, and I actually need my other knee done too, but I am trying to postpone it as much as I can.”

The Highlanders took first place in the silver division at last year's Pennsylvania Classic, representative of a state championship in gymnastics.

“Winning the state championship last year was the best feeling in the world,” Kalwarski said. “Our goal as a team this year is obviously to win states back to back. But we are a young team, and as the only senior, my goal is to make the underclassmen comfortable with gymnastics and with competing. It's all about the experience.”

The bulk of the high school season takes place in January and February.

“Hanna is coming off a knee surgery, so she will probably be out for the first two meets of the season,” Cummings said. “She has been working on staying in shape while out with the injury. When she comes back after the holidays, I know she will be better than ever.”

Kalwarski has a strong dance background, which led her to a career in gymnastics. She was part of the USAG program prior to her high school career.

“I was always a kid that was jumping off furniture and walking on my hands to get to a room in my house,” Kalwarski said. “My mom put me in dance at the age of 2, which led me to competitive dance at the age of 7. At the same time, I started gymnastics and fell in love with it.

“I had to stop dance, which was hard, but I am thankful every day that gymnastics led me to the opportunity of where I am at today. I appreciate my dance background that gave me the opportunity to be apart of acro and tumbling.”

Kalwarski has a 3.3 GPA, and is a member of the National Art Honors Society and Special Olympics Club at Baldwin.

“My favorite subject is science, more specifically anatomy,” she said. “It challenges me, but I also find it very interesting.”

Following the gymnastics season, Kalwarski will turn her attention to the pole vault.

“I want to thank not only my coaches,” Kalwarski said, “but also my mom and dad. They do a lot for gymnastics and they never miss a meet. I love them so much, and I am thankful for all of my family's support.

“I can't wait to be at West Liberty because I know they will still be there cheering me on.”

Ray Fisher is a freelance writer.

Tags: Baldwin