[3] Kupets was raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and trained at Hill's Gymnastics, the former gym of Olympians Dominique Dawes and Elise Ray.

After the 2004 Olympics, she competed for the University of Georgia (UGA) where she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi women's fraternity, joining her older sister, Ashley Kupets.

She was named to the U.S. team for the 2002 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, where she won the uneven bars final over five-time defending champion Svetlana Khorkina.

However, during a practice session before the team finals, she tore her left Achilles tendon on a double Arabian somersault and was forced to withdraw from the event, returning home to Maryland immediately for surgery.

She received the team's highest score on bars (9.662), putting the U.S. temporarily ahead of eventual winner Romania in the standings.

However, she won the bronze medal in the uneven bars final with a score of 9.637, behind Émilie Le Pennec of France (9.687) and fellow American Terin Humphrey (9.662).

After returning from Athens, Kupets traveled across the United States with other gymnasts on an exhibition tour sponsored by T.J. Maxx.

In her first season, she was named SEC freshman of the year and she contributed to the team's first-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships and won the all-around, bars, and beam titles.

[citation needed] At the 2007 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, Kupets tied teammate Katie Heenan for the all-around gold with a total of 39.600, and earned the vault and bars titles with scores of 9.975 and 9.925, respectively.

Kupets scored 39.75 on Day 1, with a 9.9 on beam and 9.95 on bars, floor, and vault, earning her second consecutive NCAA all-around title.

Performing on floor during a meet against Arkansas in March 2008, Kupets tore her right Achilles tendon, the second such injury she had suffered in her career.

At the 2009 NCAA Championships, Kupets became national all-around champion for a record-tying third time, earning a 10 on beam and defeating runner-up Kristina Baskett of Utah with a total score of 39.800.

In the individual event finals, she won the bars and beam titles (beating fellow Gym Dog and 2004 Olympic teammate Courtney McCool on beam), tied to win floor, and placed third on vault, setting an NCAA record of nine individual titles to end her college career.