Perry attended Walnut Hills High School and performed at the Queen City Gymnastics Club. She was the top finisher on vault in the Ohio meet and Buckeye Classic in 1989. Perry was also the Eastern national competitor in 1988, placing on vault. At WVU, she made an immediate contribution and competed in 14 meets her freshman year. As a sophomore, she made great strides while competing in 12 meets. As a junior, she had an outstanding season and was also one of the three co-captains. That year, she had season high scores and career bests while competing in 15 meets. Her best performance came against Temple and Pitt when she scored a season high in the all-around. She was also named All-Conference on bars and all around. Returning for her senior year, she again served as a co-captain. She was considered the most consistent performer her previous two seasons and was discipline and motivated. She was considered to be an excellent role model for the young team.