 The gymnastics community began to take notice of Uzelac, who stood barely over four feet at the time, as her second day balance beam score was the highest of the field, and her overall total was just over a tenth away from capturing the title.Uzelac was a member of the American squad for the junior competition at the 1998 International Team Championships, where she placed second with the U.S. team and fifth in the all-around.She also competed in the 1998 Canberra Cup in Australia, an important meet for junior gymnasts, where she placed 10th all-around and won silver medals on vault and floor exercise.