Kathy Tang

Kathy Tang had waited six weeks for this moment. After spraining her left ankle at North Carolina on Feb. 2, the freshman was forced to watch from the sideline as her teammates competed through a mostly successful campaign.

She was supposed to miss the rest of the season, but by the Terrapins gymnastics team’s final meet at George Washington on March 17, she was ready.

That night, Tang stood next to the uneven bars. She was the Terps’ first competitor in the meet and wanted to get the team off to a good start. She took a deep breath, and leapt.

Tomorrow, Tang will be back on the mat again, this time as the team begins its NCAA championship hunt in the Gainesville Regional. They’ll go up against six other teams, including No. 1 Florida, and the top two teams will advance to the NCAA Championship in Los Angeles later this month.

“She hated every minute of it,” coach Brett Nelligan said of Tang being stuck on the sideline. “She wanted to be out there competing. She was with a trainer seven days a week.”

In Tang’s absence, the team hardly slowed down. After her injury, the Terps’ season appeared to be in jeopardy. After all, the freshman was ranked first in the EAGL in the all-around and was in the running for conference Rookie of the Year.

But aside from a loss to Auburn on March 1 and a second place finish at West Virginia on March 15, the squad won the rest of its meets.

And on Feb. 17, the Terps notched a 196.175 against Rutgers and West Virginia, their highest score in three years.

Though happy for her teammates’ success, Tang yearned to join them. So she dedicated herself to her rehabilitation.

For two weeks, the Agawam, Mass., native was relegated to crutches and a boot. Then she spent two weeks walking without the crutches. Finally, she traded in the boot for an air cast, which she wore for two weeks.

All the while, she worked on re-gaining strength in her ankle. At first, she could only do basic ankle exercises. She gradually worked her way back to being able to compete on bars.

“I told her, ‘Just because it’s hard now, doesn’t mean it’s going to be hard later,’” her sister, junior Karen Tang, said. “She’ll show what she can do. She’ll be back.”

Upon first returning, Kathy Tang was cautious in the gym. She finished her bar routines favoring her good ankle. But eventually, with Nelligan’s urging, the freshman regained the confidence to land strong on both feet.

And while she hasn’t fully returned to the dominating all-around presence she was earlier in the season, her solid performances on bars have proven critical for the Terps.

At her first meet back, she tallied a 9.725, good for seventh on the uneven bars. Then, at the conference championships, she notched a 9.675.

Though most of her freshman campaign was spent on the sideline, Tang still has three years of college eligibility remaining. If anyone can accurately forecast how she will return from the injury, it’s her sister.

“She’s got that look in her eyes that she wants to be back no matter what,” Karen Tang said. “I know it’s hard to watch your teammates do the sport that you love.”

But for now, Kathy Tang is focusing on helping her teammates Saturday at the NCAA regional. Last season, the Terps placed fifth at the Fayetteville, N.C., Regional, tallying a 194.400.

This year’s team only scored lower than 195.000 twice, and the first time was the day Tang went down. The freshman would love nothing more than to help bring the Terps to the top.

“The team is doing so well,” Kathy Tang said. “If we compete to our full potential, I know we can make nationals.”

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