Julia Waight was well aware of the pressure that she faced heading into the season. Entering her final year with the Illinois women's gymnastics program and serving as a team captain for the first time, Waight knew she would take on an elevated role, yet she has opted to take a more relaxed approach despite all of the weight on her shoulders.

That mentality has paid dividends, as Waight has put together her best campaign yet in her final year representing the Orange and Blue.

"I've really been trying to soak in every moment, just knowing that I'm graduating this year," Waight said. "I've been really trying to let the pressure come out of me. Instead, I try to focus on having fun and cherishing the moment, which is hard sometimes because we have big goals. I've realized that after each day is done, we're a team, we aren't defined by one mistake, and I think that's actually improved my performance."

Waight joined the Illini in 2019 and quickly found the team's culture to be very welcoming and open. Though she meshed with her teammates fairly quickly and easily, she immediately struggled with the expectations and talent that came with college gymnastics. 

She turned to senior and team captain Karen Howell for guidance. Howell took Waight under her wing, and the pair found they had a lot in common. They had similar personalities, used the same passes in their floor routines, and were both kinesiology majors.

"I looked up to her," Waight said. "She was very determined and was a strong leader. We got along, and we became close friends. I remember her showing me around campus, just me and her, and I think that was a strong start for our friendship. She was someone that I really looked up to."

Voted the team's Hardest Worker following her freshman campaign, Waight earned Academic All-Big Ten honors during her sophomore and junior seasons while competing in 14 meets on both vault and floor.

In her senior year and with NCAA Regionals around the corner, Waight set career-highs on both apparatuses earlier in the season, and she hopes to carry that momentum into the remainder of the postseason schedule.

Waight's confidence is at an all-time high this season, something she says is a testament to the team's culture. Though she has always recognized her talent and potential, Waight has leaned on her teammates and coaches to help her grow and develop her self-perceptions.

"The biggest part of this specific team's culture is recognizing everything that each person brings to the table," Waight said. "If it wasn't for Nadalie and my close relationships with my teammates, I don't know if I would have ever gotten to this point of my confidence. Coming in, it was hard for me to receive compliments or talk highly about myself. I've done gymnastics my whole life, and that was never really something that was a focus for me. 

"I think coming here has made me feel like there really isn't anything I can't do. Everything can be done with the power of a team. Everyone has different strengths, and they really helped me realize everything that I am capable of. I'll carry on everything that we've done and learned together throughout my future."

Waight and the Illini will travel to Norman, Oklahoma, to compete in the NCAA Regionals, the program's 19th consecutive trip to the competition. No. 22 Illinois will square off with No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Kentucky, and No. 25 Iowa, with the session set to take place on Thursday at 2 p.m. CT on ESPN+.

Any meet could be Waight's last, and she will continue to serve as a critical piece to the Illini's success in Oklahoma and beyond.

"People recognize me as always having a smile on my face, lifting up the vibes of the gym, and I think I have always been someone that was working hard without necessarily being the center of the spotlight," Waight said. "I think what people really appreciate about me is that I have never given up. I'm having my best competition season I've ever had this year, and I think I've really come into my own in terms of growing as a leader."