For the final time on Friday night, wrapping up 13 dedicated years, the St. Albert senior will perform her floor exercise routine in Fargo, N.D., in front of her parents and teammates. She’ll walk off the mat with little fanfare, but deep personal satisfaction.

Dunning is the lone southwest Iowan competing for Cahoys Gymnastics, and she’ll end her affiliation with the Omaha gym on Friday at the Region 4 championships. But she didn’t join gymnastics to hear applause from thousands of fans or to be adored by her classmates. She did it to...