West Chester University Gymnast Gets Chance On Big Stage

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Saturday will be a very big day for West Chester University women's gymnast, Majesta Valentine.

The Wilmington, Delaware native will be competing in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is the second straight year that Valentine has earned this honor and she is the only West Chester gymnast ever to get this opportunity, let alone get it twice.

"I'm the kind of person, I get really nervous if I don't really know what I'm getting myself into," Valentine tells KYW Newsradio. "So I think last year I was a lot more nervous about competing and who I was going up against and I think having the experience from last year and knowing that I've already been through it once, I'm a lot more confident, I think, in myself. There are still some nerves just because I'm going all the way to Michigan, I've never been there before, stuff like that, but I definitely think I'm more confident this year."

Listen to the entire interview with West Chester's Majesta Valentine:

While West Chester is a Division II school, Valentine will be competing mostly against standouts from Division I schools like Penn State, Stanford and Michigan in the regionals.

"There are a few girls in Division II that have qualified before," Valentine says. "But usually it's the top 36 teams in the country that go to regionals and I believe almost all the time it's Division I schools that make it. So for a Division II athlete to compete against the other Division I teams and individuals that don't qualify, I think it's a pretty big deal."

Valentine is an all-arounder, meaning she competes in all four events: vault, balance beam, uneven bars and floor exercise.

"Floor is definitely my favorite and I think that is the event that I can score the highest at," Valentine says. "I've always been a performer and I love to dance and interact with the crowd. I'm definitely a strong gymnast on that event, so I would say floor probably, going for my highest score there."

If Valentine does well enough on Saturday, she will qualify for the NCAA Championships later this month in Texas.