Terrapins gymnastics coach Brett Nelligan has a saying when it comes to freshman gymnasts.

“You never know what you’re getting until the bright lights come on.”

After seeing the freshmen gain experience at the college level in the first two meets of the season, Nelligan was impressed. Three freshmen have competed for the Terps, and they have all hit at least one routine.

“The freshmen’s faces light up when they hit a routine,” senior Kathy Tang said. “College is such an extraordinarily different feeling than club gymnastics and I’m really happy to share that experience with them.”

Adjusting to the different feel of college can be a process. Freshman Macey Roberts has experienced that firsthand.

In her first meet Jan. 10, Roberts put up respectable scores of 9.675 and 9.625 on vault and floor, respectively. She also scored a 9.175 on beam, which was lowered due to a fall that Nelligan called a “little slip.”

After that meet, Nelligan had a talk with Roberts.

“I told her that she would feel a difference at the second meet,” Nelligan said.

Roberts did feel the difference. In the second meet, she improved on all three of her scores, including leading the team with a 9.775 on floor, and tying for first on beam with another 9.775. No slips, big or little.

“I learned to take it one skill at a time and control my breathing and landing,” Roberts said of the first meet. “This meet was a lot more fun.”

Freshmen Megan McClelland and Alex Robinson, meanwhile, took less of an adjustment period.

They both performed on bars in the team’s first meet, and scored 9.85 and 9.75, respectively. As a team, the Terps had a 49.125 score on bars.

The Terps haven’t been as strong on the balance beam, but a rookie could have an impact on the event in the future.

Freshman Shynelle Agaran was penciled in to perform on beam for the season opener, but a concussion has kept her out of action.

Sophomore Allie Epperson said it’s been difficult for the team to have Agaran sidelined. Dominiquea Trotter, who also suffered a concussion shortly before the first meet of the season, also hasn’t competed.

The Terps’ first two meets have been a bit stressful, as tight scoring on early rotations has forced the team into early deficits.

But the high-pressure situations haven’t unnerved the freshmen.