Junior Allie Salas performs her routine on Jan. 9, 2015, at Wells Fargo Arena. (Andrew Ybanez/ The State Press)
ASU gymnastics junior Allie Salas knows what it's like to be the underdog.
As someone who missed the recruiting process during high school in her attempt to compete at the collegiate level, Salas had to start from square one to ensure a spot as a Gym Devil.
Now two and half years later, Salas has become one of the most consistent, reliable members of ASU's team as one of only two all-around competitors in the group.
On Sunday, in the Cal Quad Meet, Salas posted a respectable all-around score of 38.750 and while competing all-around is relatively new to her, the excitement is one of the biggest reasons she is in love with gymnastics.
"You've been working hard to get a new skill," Salas said, "And all of your hard work and effort (pays off) and when you finally nail it, that's just the best feeling."
It's a feeling she has craved since starting the sport not long after she learned to walk.
"I started gymnastics by doing tumbling classes when I was probably 3. I really got into it around age 8, and then I just kind of stuck with it."
The rest, as is said, is history.
Salas was a force to be reckoned with at Liberty High School in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri.
In 2011, she won the Vault Title at the 2011 Missouri State Championships and the following year took home the all-around title at the same event.
Although she missed out on some of the benefits of the recruiting process her senior year, everything worked out.
"I tried out as a walk-on (as a freshman at ASU), because I was late in the recruiting process," said Salas.
But she didn't mind being a Sun Devil at all.
"Arizona State was my top choice," she said. "I loved everything about Arizona State: the academics, the athletics, the location, everything. ... As a freshman, (I) made the team and competed."
And she competed well.
Focusing her attention on two of the four possible rotations, Salas's best vault score was a 9.725 and her season-high floor score of 9.850 earned her a spot in the Pac-12 Championships.
A 9.725 floor score there landed her in the NCAA Regionals where her season ended, though her success had just begun.
Determined to work harder her sophomore season, Salas went back to the NCAA Regionals, this time in vault and floor, scoring a 9.750 and 9.775, respectively.
Now, as one of the veterans on the team, Salas has used her junior season to step into a coveted all-around role with the hopes of improving even further.
"Last year I was working all-around and was more of a backup for bars and beam," Salas said. "This year, we needed people to step up so I decided to push myself into making the lineup for bars and beams."
So far, so good.
Salas has led all Gym Devils in bars scores once this season (9.85 at Kentucky Classic) and had a personal-best 9.65 on the beams.
On the floor, she has a personal season-high 9.825 and 9.725 on the vault.
"My strengths are vault and floor, because I've competed in those since freshman year," she said. "Bars and beam are newer to me."
After Sunday's meet, Salas said she understands there is room for improvement and is excited to work on her skills with her team.
“There’s still a few mistakes made," Salas said. "But there’s always room for improvement in all areas of gymnastics, so we just gotta get back to the gym and keep working on the details.”
A biochemistry major, Salas certainly is keen to detail and at some point she will hang up her leotard to focus on life after gymnastics and graduation.
"Something in health care, I think, is where I want to be," she said. "I chose biochem because there are multiple opportunities of what I can do with it."
And, with the season still in the early stages, there are multiple opportunities this year for her to solidify another spot in the NCAA Regionals — and possibly even further.
Reach the reporter at mtquesad@asu.edu or follow @mitchTquesada on Twitter.
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