Gymnastics | 7/5/2023 2:01:00 PM

DENTON, Texas (July 5, 2023) – To pioneer forward and continually achieve success, we must honor and celebrate those who came before. Individuals who worked to build and maintain the legacy of Texas Woman's University Athletics.

Our alumni created traditions, set records and upheld an incredible culture of Pioneer Athletics, so student-athletes today can continue to write their stories at TWU.

Throughout the summer, we will be highlighting TWU Pioneer alumni. Today, we feature former gymnastics student-athlete, Erin Alderman, now Erin Tech.

Alderman Tech, originally from Fair Oaks, California, competed for the Pioneers gymnastics team from 2016-19.

While committing to move from California to Texas was a big decision for Alderman Tech, she said she knew Texas Woman's University was the place for her.

"There was a school I was planning on going to that was close to home, but right before Nationals my junior year of high school God closed that door. I went to Nationals and I met Lisa Bowerman and the assistants at the time Courtney and Garrett Griffeth. We talked for an hour after the meet about life. We talked about gymnastics probably five to 10 minutes of it. The rest of the conversation was about faith, family, school and things like that, so I started to notice something was different about this school. I ended up going on an official visit a month or two later. Right when I came on campus, there is no other way to really describe it, other than God put it on my heart this was where I was supposed to be and this was where I was going to go."

In the gym, Alderman Tech immediately made a positive impact for the Pioneers. During her freshman season, she competed in every meet on floor and also made appearances in the vault and beam lineup. She closed the season with a Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) Second Team All-Conference honor on floor. Then, at the USA Gymnastics National Championships, she earned First Team All-America honors on floor.

As a communication sciences, specifically speech pathology, major, Alderman Tech excelled in the classroom, earning MIC Scholar Athlete honors and Women's Gymnastics Coaches Association (WGCA) Scholastic All-America honors.

She continued her prominence in the Pioneers' lineup and continued to elevate her skills during her sophomore season, helping guide the Pioneers to the 2017 USA Gymnastics National Championship title.

"When we won our sophomore year, we barely made it to Day Two," Alderman Tech said. "On Day Two, everything clicked. We were just having fun and being ourselves. We were enjoying what we got to do together, and it showed on the floor. My parents also were able to attend, which was special for me."

Alderman Tech added many accolades to her collegiate resume her sophomore year on the Pioneers' path to a championship. She was named a USA Gymnastics Second Team All-American on beam, MIC Second Team All-Conference honoree on floor and an NCAA Regional Alternate on floor.

In the classroom, her success was also honored. Alderman Tech was named a MIC Scholar Athlete, WCGA Scholastic All-American, College Sports Information Directors (CoSIDA) Academic All-District member and a CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team honoree.

Although her success in the gym and in the classroom was evident through her performances and accolades during her first two years as a Pioneer, Alderman Tech said those first two years came with "growing pains," as she acclimated to college and collegiate gymnastics, but it was through those years she learned valuable lessons and was able to grow into her ultimate potential.

"My first two years, especially my first year, included a lot of growing pains. Adjusting to college gymnastics in general, because you're competing for your team and not as an individual, was tough. I worked to shift my mindset, but making that adjustment was difficult at first because I was mainly worried about letting my team down. During my junior and senior years, I felt way more freedom – freedom to pour into my teammates and see the bigger purpose of why I was there because I found my identity in Christ rather than my performance. My coaches really helped me during that time. Their emphasis on character helped me grow as a competitor and as a leader."

Once Alderman Tech found this freedom in life and in the gym, she realized the strength she had to connect with and lead her team, which is where she experienced her true definition of success.

As a junior, she once again helped guide the Pioneers to a USA Gymnastics National Title – this time at home in Kitty Magee Arena.

Throughout the season, she was a staple in the beam, floor and vault lineup. She earned USA Gymnastics First Team All-America honors on beam and was named a USA Gymnastics Scholar Athlete, a MIC Scholar Athlete and a WCGA Scholastic All-American.

Alderman Tech's final year competing with the Pioneers proved to be an incredible last campaign. She was named the MIC Woman of the Year – the first in Pioneers' program history and now still one of only two all-time. Additionally, she qualified for the second time in her career for an NCAA Regional Event—this time on beam.

In the gym, she earned USA Gymnastics All-America honors on floor and beam. For her excellence in the classroom, Alderman Tech was named a MIC Scholar Athlete, a USA Gymnastics Scholar Athlete and a WCGA Scholastic All-American.

She graduated in 2019 with her undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology. Then, she completed her master's degree in Speech Pathology in 2020, also at TWU.

While Alderman Tech worked in an elementary school for a year after graduating in 2020, she made the decision to stay home, after having her first daughter. Now, she is a stay-at-home mom, while also serving as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) Director for TWU.

"The month after I finished my master's degree, I got pregnant with Ellie, my first daughter, so I worked for a year in an elementary school in Denton, and I loved it. Part of my workload was working with kids who were deaf or hard of hearing, so getting to pour into them and love on them was incredibly rewarding. I learned a lot, and it was a great experience, but I also knew my time there was coming to an end. Once I had Ellie and we decided I was going to stay home, we started to pray through what I would do, where I could use my gifts and where I could plug in somewhere. A couple of months later God opened the door to lead FCA at TWU, and it's totally what I love to do."

Alderman Tech said she truly sees it as a full circle moment, because during her junior year, she started a weekly Bible study with athletes and now she has the opportunity to still lead Pioneer student-athletes, using her own experience to walk through this season of life with them.

Looking back and reflecting on her time as a Pioneer, Alderman Tech said the greatest lesson she learned while a gymnast was it's not all about her – a lesson she still applies to her life today.

"The greatest lesson I learned was that life – regardless if that's gymnastics, school, now parenthood and marriage or my job – it's not about me. I learned to look outside myself and care for others on my team. This allowed me to pour into and mentor others and also freed me to truly enjoy what I am doing. Looking outside yourself makes you a better leader, teammate and friend."

From this lesson, Alderman Tech also derives her advice to current-student athletes. 

"I would encourage them to look outside themselves and get to know their teammates outside of their sports on a personal level because it does impact how you perform, but also everyone is going through something and to be able to have teammates who care about you and walk through those difficulties with you is something nothing or no one can replace," Alderman Tech said.

Alderman Tech, who just recently had her second daughter, said, as she looks on her current role as stay-at-mom, she knows it's an invaluable gift and calling, paired with the work she does with TWU FCA, she feels God's power in all she does.

"There's not a lot of value sometimes in moms getting to stay home with their kids. I will say that has been one of my greatest gifts. Whatever God is calling you to, lean into that, even if the culture around us does not value it in the same way, there is still power in it."