After a breakout freshman season, an athlete can want nothing more than to return and top those marks the following year.

At the conclusion of the 1999 women's gymnastics season, Dina Sulyma found herself in that very position. Sulyma had competed in all 13 meets for the Nittany Lions. She participated on both the bars and beam in each meet and averaged a 9.746 and 9.490 on each event, respectively.

Coming back to top that in 2000 was the goal.

But that goal became unattainable after Sulyma tore her left anterior cruciate ligament, causing her to redshirt the entire 2000 season.

And so last year's hopes became this year's.

But luck wasn't on Sulyma's side again.

Sulyma reinjured her right knee earlier this season. The same knee that had been hurt originally during high school, when she competed for Exper-Tiess Gymnastics in New York.

The injury caused her to miss the first three meets this season, but slowly she has been working herself back into the lineup.

Sulyma has competed on floor for the Nittany Lions the past three meets and has broken the 9.800 mark each time, including a 9.825 in the team's quadrangular meet against Florida, Stanford and Illinois-Chicago this past weekend.

"Dina is contributing huge on floor. Her routine has counted both times for us," Penn State assistant coach Jessica Bastardi said in an interview prior to this weekend's meet where Sulyma's score also counted for Penn State. "She's a beautiful dancer and she has great choreography. But she's still a little limited with her knee, and we need to monitor her training while still getting what we need from her."

Bastardi also said that the coaches hope to get Sulyma back in the lineup when she is physically ready to help with scores on vault and bars. Although Sulyma isn't back to her full potential, she's just happy to be back competing for the team.

"It was really fun and so exciting to be competing again," Sulyma said. "It felt like I never missed a beat. It didn't feel like I was out for so long."

Sulyma's father, Ron Sulyma, could also tell how excited his daughter was the first day she was to compete again.

"Dina really wants to compete," Ron Sulyma said. "I was a gymnast myself and I tore ligaments in my shoulder. I could understand how she felt. The day she was going to compete ... she was on a high. She really wanted to get into it."

This season has brought changes for Sulyma, who last year helped out the team at home meets by moving mats and boards, and always being on the sidelines for her teammates. But this year, Sulyma was able to travel with the team again like she did during her freshman campaign. But for Sulyma, the important part about this season is being healthy and staying healthy.

"I want to get stronger and stay healthy," Sulyma said. "I want to be able to contribute to the team as much as I can, whether it be competing or helping out the team in any way."

And after her performance so far this season on floor, the rest of her team and her coaches can't wait for the time Sulyma returns full force as well.