Samantha Peszek

Birthdate: 12/14/1991 Program: Women's Artistic Level: Senior Current Residence: Los Angeles, CA Club: UCLA Gymnastics Head Coach: Marvin Sharp

Career Highlights Peszek won a team silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. Olympic Team. She was a member of the 2007 World Championships and the 2007 Pan American Games Teams that claimed the team gold medals. The 2007 World Championships Team was named the U.S. Olympic Committee's Team of the Year for 2007. She placed third in the all-around at both the 2008 Tyson American Cup and the 2008 Italy-Spain-Poland-USA competition. Peszek was named the 2007 TOPs Athlete of the Year. Peszek is the oldest daughter of Ed and and Luan Peszek, both of whom were athletes at the University of Illinois. Her mother was a collegiate gymnast who now works at USA Gymnastics as the publications director, and her dad was a collegiate wrestler and hockey player who now coaches hockey and works at an environmental firm. Peszek has a younger sister, Jessica (15), who is a Level 10 gymnast. Peszek will attend UCLA in the fall of 2010. She graduated with high honors from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis.  Personal Information Nickname: Sam Hometown: McCordsville, IN Personal Website: samanthapeszek.com Twitter: @samanthapeszek Name of College: UCLA Year you began gymnastics: 1993 Favorite Event: Beam How did you get involved in gymnastics: My mom enrolled me in gymnastics when I was young. Favorite thing about gymnastics: My favorite thing about gymnastics is traveling to all the different competitions and competing with athletes from other countries. What are your goals for gymnastics?: I want to win medals while competing internationally, and go to UCLA and do gymnastics. Names of parents/guardians/spouse: Ed and Luan Peszek Names of sibling(s): Younger sister, Jessica Family members in sports: Jessica, is a Level 10 gymnast.  Interests Outside the Gym Favorite school subject: Composition Hobbies or favorite activities: Boating, tubing, shopping Favorite music: All types Favorite TV show(s): Gossip Girl and 90210 Favorite Food: Sushi Charity Involvement: My school requires me to do 100 hours of community service before I graduate, so I am involved in a lot of projects. Other sports involvement: I played soccer when I was younger and ran track.  National Competition Results 2012 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, Duluth, Ga. - 3rd-Team, 7th-BB(T) 2011 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, Cleveland, Ohio - 1st-BB; 2nd-Team 2009 Visa Championships, Dallas, Texas - 2nd-BB; 7th-FX 2009 CoverGirl Classic, Des Moines, Iowa - 2nd-VT 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Gymnastics, Philadelphia, Pa. - 2nd-FX(T); 4th-AA, VT, BB; 6th-UB 2008 Visa Championships, Boston, Mass. - 4th-AA; 5th-BB; 6th-UB; 10th-FX 2007 Visa Championships, San Jose, Calif. - 7th-AA; 9th-BB; 10th-UB, FX 2006 Visa Championships, St. Paul, Minn. - 2nd-VT; 3rd-AA, UB; 5th-FX; 7th-BB(T) (Jr. Div.) 2006 U.S. Classic, Kansas City, Kan. - 1st-FX, VT; 2nd-AA, BB; 4th-UB (Jr. Div.) 2005 Visa Championships, Indianapolis, Ind. - 1st-VT; 2nd-FX; 7th-AA (Jr. Div.) 2005 U.S. Classic, Virginia Beach, Va. - 2nd-VT; 3rd-FX; 8th-AA; 9th-BB (Jr. Div.) 2004 Visa Championships, Nashville, Tenn. - 3rd-VT; 8th-AA; 9th-FX; 10th-UB (Jr. Div.) 2004 U.S. Classic, Rochester, N.Y. - 7th-VT; 10th-FX; 11th-AA (Jr. Div.) 2004 Women's Junior Olympic Level 10 National Championships, Kissimmee, Fla. - 2nd-AA, VT, UB, BB; 7th-FX   International Competition Results 2008 Olympic Games, Beijing, China - 2nd-Team 2008 Italy-Spain-Poland-USA competition, Jesolo, Italy - 1st-Team; 3rd-AA 2008 Tyson American Cup, New York, N.Y. - 3rd-AA 2007 World Championships, Stuttgart, Germany - 1st-Team 2007 Pan American Games, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - 1st-Team 2007 USA vs Great Britain International Competition, Lisburn, Ireland - 1st-Team, FX, VT; 2nd-BB; 3rd-AA 2007 Tyson American Cup, Jacksonville, Fla. - 2006 Junior Pan American Championships, Gatineau, Que., Canada - 1st-Team, FX; 2nd-VT; 4th-AA (Jr. Div.) 2006 International Gymnix, Montreal, Que., Canada - 1st-AA, VT, BB; 3rd-UB 2005 Mexican International Invitational, Cancun, Mexico - 1st-Team, AA, VT, FX 2004 USA/Canada, Houston, Texas - 1st-Team