Maryland gymnastics’ Natalie Martin started the Rutgers Quad with a 9.425 on beam, a score that could shake any gymnast’s confidence. But the sophomore never questioned her ability.

Martin knows there’s a reason the team trusted her to compete in three events since the first day she entered the program. She earned her second consecutive spot on the 2025 Big Ten Gymnast to Watch list.

“Just remembering … there’s no need to doubt myself and I’ve been doing [gymnastics] for a while,” Martin said. “It’s what allows me to flip that switch in my brain.”

The Terps rebounded following a sluggish start for a victory on Sunday despite a season-worst outing. Martin led the improved efforts.

The Westerville, Ohio native twice matched her season-best score in any event, scoring 9.8750 on vault and floor. With her best two-event stretch of the year, Martin powered Maryland to a year-high score on floor and one of its best showings on vault.

[Maryland gymnastics secures narrow win at Rutgers Quad with season-low score]

Martin managed a similar comeback after falling on beam against No. 11 UCLA. Her score was deducted to a season-low 8.9500, and Maryland posted its worst score of the year on beam.

But Martin cleared her head and refocused ahead of her floor routine, where she scored 9.8000.

Martin feels the Terps’s unity and resilience create a second-half surge like the one they had at Rutgers. Even when the team struggles, they always support one another and reassure themselves that they’re capable.

Coach Brett Nelligan compared the advice he gives to struggling gymnasts to that of a basketball coach.

“I tell everyone on this team, ‘We got a team full of shooters,’” Nelligan said. “That’s what coaches tell shooters when they miss, ‘Keep shooting’ … if they have a little trouble today, doesn’t mean they’re not a great gymnast, just means they need to take another shot at it next week.”

[Rhea LeBlanc provides a needed consistency for Maryland gymnastics]

Though the whole team seems to share the same mentality when approaching adversity, Martin has other methods.The sophomore has her own set of superstitions she sticks to during meets.

Her mother, who travels from Ohio to every meet, braids her hair. She wears the same socks and hair ties. She totes the same pink “pain bag” at every meet with Biofreeze inside.

“I don’t even think Biofreeze really helps, but it calms my brain and lets me think about something other than just gymnastics,” Martin said. “I’ll sometimes put it behind my temples … to kind of get myself out of thinking about just gymnastics.”

Beyond superstitions, Martin clears her mind after a miscue by hitting a mental reset button. She imagines the meet is beginning anew and tries to make the most of her remaining events.

“I kinda just try to walk over to my bag and take a sip of water, act like I’m walking into the meet fresh,” Martin said. “Like, ‘Today’s not going to be perfect, but we’re going to make the best out of it.’”

Maryland and Martin were far from flawless in the first half of the Rutgers Quad. But the Terps’ unwavering confidence — and superstitions — paved their comeback, helping snap a two-meet skid as they return to sole Big Ten meets.