April 20, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- For Penn State gymnast Nihir Kothari, the scene almost didn't seem real.
Just over six months after tears to both his ACL and menisci had seemingly ended the senior's season before it the started, the former All-American found himself in front of the bright lights of the NCAA Championships.
"I really haven't felt that nervous in a long time," said Kothari. "Then as soon as I started I felt the atmosphere of Rec Hall take over and I felt like I was home."
Making his season debut on the biggest stage possible, and three months before he was expected to fully healed, Kothari not only competed but also pulled off an impressive rings dismount to earn a respectable score of 14.750.
While there may have been other Nittany Lions who scored higher on the apparatus, there was no doubt that Kothari's performance was the highlight of a night that ended with the Nittany Lions claiming the top score of session two with 436.900 points.
"I am so happy for [Nihir]," said head coach Randy Jepson. "He put his heart and soul into this program and he was heroic tonight."
Making the performance even more heroic was the fact that it came on the same routine that the Malvern, Pa native was performing when he injured himself in October of 2012.
"(Dismounting) was the biggest fear that I had but you have to live with what you worked for," said Kothari. "I did enough rehab to put myself in the mindset where I could treat it like practice and hit the sets."
Any lingering doubt that was still in Kothari's mind was erased by his teammates just prior to his routine.
As the fifth year senior waited to begin, his fellow Nittany Lions could be heard throughout Rec Hall chanting "How strong, so strong."
"That's an old chant that we generally save for the strongest guys," said Kothari. "During the routine everything washed away and I couldn't hear much but I could feel the presence of my teammates."
The routine may have been Kothari's first true performance of the season, but as soon as he took hold of the rings, it was almost as if he had never been out of action in the first place.
"As soon as I started it felt as if I had never stopped competing," said Kothari. "I felt this great sense of pride and Nittany Lion spirit.
That spirit was shared by the many Penn State fans that came out to support the squad on their quest to win their 13th National Championship.
Rec Hall may have held a partisan crowd with six teams competing in the evening qualifying session, but when Kothari stuck his landing, the Nittany Lion faithful made it feel just like a regular season home meet.
"To see all these people behind me is something that you can't put into words," said Kothari. "It's incredible and I have nothing but praise for our fans and for Rec Hall in general."
Along with his teammates and their fans, Kothari didn't hesitate to praise Jepson, not only for his guidance, but also for giving him the opportunity to compete at the National Championships after missing the entire regular season.
It is customary for Jepson to shake the hands of his gymnasts after they complete a routine, but after Kothari successfully landed his dismount, his coach made sure they embraced and Kothari enjoyed his moment.
"He just said that he was really proud of me," said Kothari. "All I said back was that I couldn't thank him enough for giving me the chance and how appreciative I am of all the support he gave me during the entire process."
Going into the night, Kothari believed that his rings routine would be the last performance of his career, a mere chance for him to give some of his other teammates some rest heading into the team finals on Saturday.
However, an injury to freshman Alexis Torres might enable Kothari to compete on the rings once again tomorrow, when he will try to help the Nittany Lions finish their season with a national title.
"I'm ecstatic and I'm going to give it everything I've got, just like I did tonight," said Kothari. "We really have something to push for tomorrow and we really have to give it our all."
--NITTANY LIONS--