Over the last year and a half, as she’s recovered from not one but two Achilles surgeries, Boyds native Kayla DiCello has tried not to picture what her first competition back might feel like.

She won’t have to wonder much longer. On Friday night, DiCello will take the floor with Florida in its season opener against North Carolina, West Virginia and Temple. The meet begins at 6:45 p.m. and will be shown on the SEC Network.

It’ll be DiCello’s first competition since 2024, when she tore her right Achilles tendon at the Olympic trials, taking her out of the running for one of the five spots on the team.

“It’s been a long time coming,” she said. “I’m just really excited to be back out there and just be with my team and just really take in every moment and enjoy it.”

DiCello trained during her elite career at Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, a center that has also produced Olympians Dominique Dawes and Courtney Kupets. DiCello made her first national team in 2018 and was an Olympic alternate in 2021.

DiCello competed for the Gators in 2023 and took a gap year in 2024 to focus on qualifying for the Olympic team. She was in the running, placing third in the all-around at the U.S. Championship, but had to pull out of the trials after tearing her Achilles. She had surgery shortly after, then decided to have her ailing left one repaired as well, so she could be 100% healthy when she returned.

As she recovered, she explored other interests. She went on a service trip and taught sports to kids in the Dominican Republic. She fell in love with Pilates and enjoyed free time hanging out with friends and traveling.

When she returned to the gym, she said, she had a newfound appreciation for the sport and could celebrate the little milestones of her recovery rather than focusing solely on the bigger picture.

DiCello said she’s back to training for all four events.

“I would be walking around the gym and be like, ‘Oh my God, this is actually so hard. It’s so hard to actually walk through my entire foot without it looking really funky,’” she said. “A simple moment of just going up on my toes was really hard. I was really happy whenever I could get those little accomplishments.”

Friday’s meet will be extra special for DiCello, because she’ll get to compete against her sister, Karleigh, for the first time. Karleigh is a sophomore at West Virginia, and their family will be in Gainesville decked out in “house divided” shirts. Their mom, Kecia, also made custom shoes and jeans with “Florida” printed down one side and “West Virginia” on the other.

“She’s very prepared for this,” Kayla DiCello said.

After this season, DiCello has two more years of NCAA eligibility remaining. She has considered returning to elite competition and making a run at the 2028 Olympics, but her focus for now is getting back on the floor and staying healthy.

“It’s so easy for me to go back in the past and rethink about the injury or what I could have done to maybe not make it happen. Or think about the future or ‘What about this once I’m healed? How is this going to go?’” she said. “It’s been a process. But really I focused on staying in the present, staying where my feet are.”

Ice dancing: U.S. Figure Skating Championship

Caroline Green and Michael Parsons, from Rockville and Derwood, respectively, are competing in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the last step in their attempt to secure a spot on the Olympic ice dancing team. There are three spots available, and the pairs will be selected based on their performance at the championship and international results.

The duo performed in the rhythm dance Thursday. They’ll compete in the free skate Saturday at 7:07 p.m. on Peacock. And the Olympic team will be announced Sunday at 2 p.m. on NBC.

NFL playoffs: A local coach takes the field on wild-card weekend

The Commanders’ and Ravens’ seasons both ended (and started) in disappointment, but there will still be a local connection on the field in the first round of the NFL playoffs. Brian Fleury led Seneca Valley to a state championship in 1998 and is now the tight ends coach for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

High school basketball: Capital Hoops Challenge

The top high school basketball teams in the DMV will compete in the Capital Hoops Challenge on Saturday and Sunday at DeMatha Catholic High School. Montgomery County will be represented by the Good Counsel and Georgetown Prep boys teams and Bullis’ girls team.

Good Counsel will face Riverdale Baptist at 9:15 a.m. Sunday, followed by Bullis against St. Francis at 11 a.m. and Georgetown Prep against Bethel Academy at 12:45 p.m.

NBA: Pelicans at Wizards

It’s a homecoming for Gaithersburg native Jordan Hawkins. Hawkins and the Pelicans will face the Wizards on Friday at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.

Hawkins attended DeMatha and played two seasons for the University of Connecticut before declaring for the NBA draft. The Pelicans selected him 14th overall in 2023, and he’s averaging 4.5 points per game in his third season.