She competed in her first senior U.S. Nationals in 1997, finishing sixth in the all-around. Her placement would have qualified her to the U.S. squad for the 1997 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, but at 15, she was too young to meet the International Federation of Gymnastics' newly raised minimum age requirement. She went on to compete at the 1999 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tianjin, where she placed sixth with the American team.