When UA gymnast Karen Tierney steps on the mat at the Midwest Regionals in Provo, Utah on Saturday, it will be the end of a cycle that began five years ago.

Tierney, a senior from Sandy, Utah, will be returning home one final time in hopes of reaching the NCAA Championships.

"It will be nice to have the regionals that close to home," Tierney said. "I will have my family there, and it will be extra special because I am a senior."

After two seasons of solid contributions, Tierney started off last season on a mission. She placed first in the all-around in her first two meets of the season, setting career highs in the vault (9.70), bars (9.825) and beam (9.90) along the way.

But it was then that disaster struck, as Tierney suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee during a beam dismount at the Cat Classic on Feb. 3. The injury proved to be serious enough to put a premature ending on what could have been a great season.

"It was tough for me when I injured my knee," Tierney said. "But the team went on and had a good year. I just hope this year I can help us reach our goal of the Championships."

At the start of this season, her situation was bleak at best. After having surgery to repair her knee, the coaching staff was not banking on Tierney returning to full form.

"In September, we were unsure about what would happen this season with Karen," Arizona head coach Jim Gault said. "We were hoping she could maybe do beam, but it didn't look like floor would be a possibility. But the effort that she has given us is remarkable and a credit to her work ethic."

Tierney showed glimpses of last season's form against Arizona State March 29, when she recorded scores of 9.875 and 9.825 in the beam and floor, respectively. Her efforts helped Arizona withstand a late Sun Devil run and win the meet. That meet marked her second strong effort in as many weeks. She solidified No. 8 Arizona's lineup in the beam (9.775) and floor (9.750) in the Pacific 10 Conference Championships March 23.

"I am pretty comfortable sticking with the beam and floor," Tierney said. "Now that I am able to compete, I just need to work on my consistency and eliminate falls."

But even if Tierney wasn't competing for the Wildcats (25-4), her presence on the team is a positive in itself.

"She's got a mild and steady personality that seems to relax the people around her," Gault said. "She is a good person to have around because she doesn't get emotionally upset."

In fact, after Tierney finishes this season, she will be coming back to the team next year as an intern.

"I'm excited she decided to return next season," Gault said. "She will be a positive influence on our younger gymnasts."

But before she starts thinking about next year, Tierney still wants to fulfill her high expectations for the team this season.

"We have the ability to contend for the national championship," Tierney said. "We just need to go out, perform the way we can and avoid the mental errors."