A.J. Mills might as well have a timecard when she walks through the McWhorter Center’s doors for an afternoon of practice.

The senior all-around gymnast treats every minute, from basic tumbling to the finer points of a new floor routine, as if she’s on the clock.

“She just goes about it like it’s a job,” coach Jeff Thompson said.

So far, three meets into the season, Mills appears to be a lock for Employee of the Month.

Mills has yet to slip up at any moment this season, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed. She is currently ranked No. 5 in the nation in the all-around and, along with fellow senior Lindsay Puckett, has eliminated any thoughts of an early-season hangover following Julie Dwyer’s graduation.

Her emergence as a reliable anchor in all four events has been three years in the making, Thompson said.

“I think having been with Julie for three years really gave them a measuring stick for themselves,” Thompson said. “They want to finish this year with something that she was not able to do, and that was to have the team go to the National Championships.”

The No. 6 Tigers have their latest opportunity to pad their NCAAs resume today when they host No. 18 Iowa State at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. The non-conference dual meet begins at 7 p.m.

A self-proclaimed perfectionist, Mills has become a trademark leader by example for the Tigers.

Away from the beams and bars, Mills serves as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and leads the Tigers in grade point average and community service hours.

“I just love being able to be a positive influence on other people’s lives,” Mills said.

In the gym, her leadership largely happens behind the scenes, as the individuality of gymnastics only allows a competitor so much of an opportunity to help her team during a competition.

That’s why Mills comes to practice ready to work.

“If I’m done with an assignment and I don’t think it’s good enough, I’ll go back and do extra of the specific skills,” Mills said. “Even though I’m done with the assignment, just to know in my head I can do it this many times in a row perfect, even under pressure.

“I guess that’s why I like gymnastics so much. It’s the quest for the perfect 10.”

That 10 hasn’t happened yet, but Mills has certainly come close. Mills averages a 39.45 in the all-around, good for a 9.8625 average per event.

It’s enough for Mills to think her output so far this year is satisfactory, but that’s about it.

“Realizing that everyone is human and normal is hard for me,” Mills said.

During practice Monday, Thompson watched Mills confront a member of the Tigers who was struggling through a routine. Thompson remembered Mills telling her to “pull your head out of your rear end and finish your assignment because we’re all counting on you.”

“For one of the kids on the team to be able to do that to one of her teammates and drag her on, that’s something great,” Thompson said. “Something that we’re happy to see her be able to do.”

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