During winter break of Terrapins gymnastics sophomore Evelyn Nee’s first year with the team, she suffered a concussion in a car accident, keeping her out of competition for the first two meets of the season.
Nee recovered and competed on the bars in each of the Terps’ final 12 meets. But even though she was physically healthy, coach Brett Nelligan didn’t feel Nee was mentally ready to compete on other events. She posted a 9.075 in three of her first five meets.
“Her freshman year was really about Nee gaining that confidence,” Nelligan said. “I talked to her all season about being tougher.”
After averaging a 9.488 on bars as a freshman, Nee’s lowest score on bars this season is a 9.525. Plus, she posted a career-high 9.875 on Sunday against Iowa.
“I’ve been really confident with bars lately,” Nee said. “And that’s showed in my performance.”
While the sophomore continues to be a stalwart in the Terps’ lineup on bars, Nee has performed a balance beam routine in each of the first three meets. And on Sunday, Nee performed on the vault for the first time in her college career.
Though she’s building her confidence on bars, Nelligan said she still struggled with her vault during the preseason. Nee hit her vault routine Sunday and received a 9.65, but after the meet, she admitted to having some nerves.
“I got really nervous; it felt weird,” Nee said. “But I tried to calm down and think back to practice.”
After testing Nee out on vault Sunday, Nelligan said Nee could continue to perform on the apparatus for the team. If she does, it could benefit the Terps on other events as well.
“Performing multiple events actually puts less pressure on me,” Nee said. “Obviously, I’m still going to try my hardest on bars, but I know that I can also contribute on the other events I’m doing.”
Nee has a more established spot on beam, an event the Terps lost three starters from last year. So far, she’s hit two of her three routines, with a high of 9.875.
“We are a small team this year,” senior Kathy Tang said. “So you just have to be prepared for anything, and Nee has done a really good job at stepping up where we need her.”
Many times, the Terps have needed Nee with little room for error. The team is not only small but also quite inexperienced, with just one senior competing regularly, so they aren’t always hitting all six of their routines on a given event.
That means Nee has been in some high-pressure situations performing after one Terp has fallen — meaning another fall would severely affect the team’s score. It’s in those situations, Nelligan said, that Nee shows how far she’s come.
“She’s one of the toughest kids on the team,” Nelligan said. “She’s worked her way up.”
The Vienna, Virginia, native isn’t done working, however. She would like to perform on floor, and in doing so, would be competing as an all-around gymnast.
Whether Nee gets a chance on floor this season or later in her career, she’s come a long way from the freshman who struggled with her confidence on bars.
“I’m so proud of her transformation,” Nelligan said. “She came in as such a shy, timid kid, and now she’s a top-level performer for us. I’m thrilled.”
