Tributes pour in for gymnast

The Connecticut college gymnast who died this week two days after falling from the uneven bars was remembered Tuesday as a “role model” for younger athletes.

Melanie Coleman (inset), a 20-year-old student-athlete at Southern Connecticut State University, suffered a spinal injury Friday in the accident at a gym in Hamden, where her college team practiced once a week.

“To know her was to like her,” gym owner Thomas Alberti told the Connecticut Post. “She was a role model all our students could look up to.”

Other gymnasts flooded social media with tributes to Coleman, who taught and coached at the gym as well.

“I still can’t find the words to describe how sad this news is but I know you’re at peace,” Blake Smith wrote of Melanie on Facebook.

Coleman’s college teammates also mourned the loss of the All-American gymnast, who joined the team her freshman year.

“Thank you for being my compassionate mpassionate and kind-d-hearted teammate and friend,” fellowow gym-gymnast Hundley wrote on Facebook. acebook. “You weree always inclusive of others and careded so deeply about out the people e around you.”

Coleman was a junior at the New Haven college, where she balanced studying for her nursing degree with her gymnastics training. She had previously made it to the top level of the USATF Junior Olympics Program. “She was an incredibly hard worker and a sweetspirited young woman,” SCSU gymnasticsgymnastic head coach Mary FFredericks said in a statement.s “Our thougthoughts and prayers continuecon to gogo outout toto herher family at this time. TThe SCSU Gymnastics team will miss herhe greatly though she will alwaalways be withwi us.”