Meredith Sylvia, now a senior at Central Catholic High School, remembers when she committed to continue her gymnastics career at Auburn University. She was just entering her freshman year of high school.

So, after much anticipation and years of excitement, the time of her competing at the collegiate level is only months away. But before she leaves the confines of the Lehigh Valley for the Southeast, there is some unfinished business for Sylvia.

“States, that is the last team meet that we have where we are trying to get a team score and win first for the team,” said Sylvia, who competes in the 17 and 18 year-old division for Parkettes. “I’m excited for states to really help pull the team together and win.

“For regionals, I’m more excited to qualify for nationals in my last year and end on a good note.”

Sylvia, who competes at Level 10, will enter the state competition this weekend in Williamsport riding a successful wave. At Parkettes’ annual home competition in late January, this being the 43rd year of the event, she placed second in her division in both the beam (9.475) and floor (9.4) exercises.

“We have it every year, and it’s always the most exciting competition of our season,” Sylvia said. “We did really well. I had a really good beam routine and floor routine, so those went well for me.

“It was our last one for the seniors, so it was even more exciting.”

She then competed in Las Vegas, Philadelphia and North Carolina with other members of the Parkettes team. But now it’s time to focus on states, then prepare for regionals, which will be held in Maryland, and plan for a return trip to nationals.

Nationals will be held in Indianapolis this year, and Sylvia will look to improve on her sixth-place finish in the all around she set as a sophomore.

“You’re competing with teammates from all over the region, with our region being Pennsylvania, Virginia and New York,” Sylvia said. “We are with girls from different states and different clubs. You’re on a team with then and trying to win with those girls.”

Like her Parkettes teammate Taylor Lawson, Sylvia had competed at the Elite rank for three years. But she, too, decided to compete at Level 10 once she reached high school, and the results have been positive across the board.

“It’s a lot more intense,” Sylvia said. “It allows you to focus more on school. It’s more of a team atmosphere opposed to Elite. Unless you are on the national team competing for USA, you are competing for yourself, as opposed to Level 10 you are competing for a team.”

It will only be a couple of months until she is officially an Auburn Tiger. Before then, however, she would like to cement an already impressive career she’s had in the Lehigh Valley.

“It’s really exciting,” Sylvia said. “I committed a long time ago actually. In between eighth grade and ninth grade is when I verbally committed, so I’ve been waiting a long time. And now it’s almost here, so it’s really exciting.”