Auburn gymnast Paige Zancan vaults to stardom

AUBURN, Ala. – When Tony Zancan came from Maryland to the Plains to study aviation, Auburn got a two for one.  

Two siblings, both with a passion for flight. Tony in an airplane, his sister Paige in Neville Arena, where she soars for Auburn’s gymnastics program.   

“When I went down to move him in, I instantly fell in love with the school,” recalled Paige, then a high school freshman. “From then on, I knew it was my dream school.” 

Back pains during her junior year of high school forced Paige to occasionally miss meets or scratch events, limiting her recruiting opportunities. 

“During that injury it was really hard,” she said. “That was mentally challenging because I knew it had a serious effect on recruiting. At a younger age, I knew my dream was doing collegiate gymnastics.”

Auburn assistant gymnastics coach Kurt Hettinger arranged for Paige to visit Auburn during her senior year. Before it took place, head coach Jeff Graba visited Paige’s Maryland gym to watch practice at the invitation of the gym’s coaches, who told him Zancan was returning to form.  

“It’s lucky that you have good coaches who are going to call you up and tip you off,” said Graba, who offered Zancan a roster spot at Auburn before leaving the gym that day.

“I cried,” she recalled. “My whole team came up and congratulated me. I will never forget that day. It was honestly one of the top five best moments of my life. It was a great day.”

“I could tell it meant something to her,” Graba said. “That enthusiasm to be on the team is contagious. If somebody wants that badly an opportunity and you give them the opportunity, it’s been my experience that they make the most of it. We stole one. She should have been highly recruited.”

A business marketing major from Mt. Airy, Maryland, Paige says Auburn has exceeded her elevated expectations.

“Everything and more,” said Zancan, a sophomore who competes three events for the Tigers. “Every single thing that I could have possibly imagined, that box was checked and more.”

For Zancan, being part of Auburn gymnastics has rekindled her passion for the sport, a journey that began when she first started tumbling at age 3.   

“It’s really nice to have a program and coaches who constantly remind you that they believe in you,” she said. “It’s truly brought the love of the sport back into my life. Being in this program, I feel like a little kid again starting gymnastics. It’s a blast.”

Auburn fans have a blast watching Zancan’s double front handspring vault, something she first started to refine in high school after seeking an alternative to the popular Yurchenko full. 

“I don’t know how or why but that vault just clicked,” she recalled. “It’s about finding a balance of patience and intensity, a very intense aggressiveness.

“It’s a blind landing so having a good understanding of where I’m at in practice. Usually, I know if the landing is going to be good by the time my feet hit the board. It’s a very thrilling feeling.

“A Yurchenko one and a half is a huge vault. It’s very cool to see people trying new things, whether it be a half-on or a front handspring entry. A lot of light’s being brought to it for other athletes to see that you can switch it up a little bit, still have fun and show off.”

Just wow. 🤩

Replaying this vault by Paige Zancan over and over…#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/hMAAEVWpFN

— Auburn Gymnastics (@AuburnGym) January 25, 2025

“It’s a crazy vault,” Graba said. “I don’t think anybody else in the NCAA does that vault. It’s a little difficult to compete at a high level because it’s intricate. She’s cracked the code on it. It’s really fun to watch because she can hit. She’s a competitor.”

After helping Auburn make history by beating in-state rival Alabama in Tuscaloosa for the first time by scoring a 9.9 on vault, 9.925 on beam and 9.875 on floor, Zancan plans for even loftier postseason achievements. 

“My biggest goal since being here has been contributing to my team in any way possible,” she said. “I really want to help the team get to the Final Four. I think we’re fully capable of that. We’ve got the team environment for it, we’ve got the talent, the push, the drive. That’s the biggest goal, Final Four.”

Both Zancans are still pursuing their aerial exploits. Tony graduated in December and is on a path to become a flight instructor. Paige flies every Friday night when she races down SEC runways and takes off on her gravity-defying vault.

“She wants to be here,” Graba said. “She loves this place. She loves the opportunity that she’s gotten and she’s making the most of it.”

Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on X: @jeff_shearer