An awkward dismount on the balance beam early last season left UAA's M'rcy Matsunami with a severely sprained left ankle and reduced her to a one-apparatus gymnast -- she mostly competed on uneven bars.
Half a year and countless rehab sessions unfolded before Matsunami again felt her ankle was strong enough, and her confidence in it steeled enough, to resume full training. Back in the gym and able to work on every apparatus, she vowed to make this season special.
"It was rough,'' Matsunami said. "I feel like I lost a whole year of (college) gymnastics, and you only get four. I told myself, 'This is going to be my year and I'm going to prove I can come back from an injury.' ''
All season, the Seawolves junior has turned her pledge into performance, and Saturday she will compete as an all-arounder at the NCAA Division I Western Regional in Berkeley, California.
Matsunami – her first name is pronounced Marcy -- in the last seven meets has delivered five of the top seven all-around marks in UAA history, including her school-record 39.200. She's also generated career-best scores on bars (9.90), beam (9.80) and floor exercise (9.825).
"This season has been insane,'' Matsunami said. "I couldn't have asked for a better season.''
Paul Stoklos, the only gymnastics coach in UAA history, said Matsunami is peaking at the perfect time.
"Look at when her scores are coming – late in the season,'' Stoklos said. "She's about as ready to compete as she can be. She's just in her groove.''
Matsunami, from Omaha, Nebraska, two weeks ago tied for third in the all-around (39.175) at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation conference meet at UAA's Alaska Airlines Center, where she won the uneven bars (9.850).
She became the second UAA gymnast to qualify multiple times for the West Regional – the standard-bearer is school Hall of Famer Elena Tkacheva, who qualified four straight years (1994-97).
Matsunami as a freshman in 2013 qualified for the vault at the West Regional in Corvallis, Oregon. Gymnasts were permitted a single vault. So, as Matsunami noted with a laugh, she flew for hours round-trip to take care of "10 seconds of my life.''
Still, Stoklos felt that brief performance on a big stage could grant Matsunami valuable experience for later in her career – like Saturday's regional.
Although Matsunami will be the only Seawolf competing at the West Regionals, she said she won't be competing just for herself. While club gymnastics centers on individual performance, she and Stoklos both said, college gymnastics focuses on the team.
"Team is huge,'' Matsunami said. "I'm not doing it for myself. I'm doing it for the team. Incoming freshmen, we let them know, 'It's not about you any more.'
"Even at regionals, it's still not about me. It's about what I can do for the program, for the team.''
Reach Doyle Woody at dwoody@alaskadispatch.com, check out his blog at adn.com/hockey-blog and follow him on Twitter at @JaromirBlagr