January 25, 1999
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Freshman Kit Johnson (Virginia Beach/Salem) led No. 17 Maryland to a first-place finish at the George Washington Invitational after winning both the vault and beam to help the team to a 189.825 overall score. Her 9.8 mark on the vault was the second-highest score in school history for the event as she tied North Carolinas Brooke Wilson for first.
Two other Maryland freshmen also won individual events. Gillian Cote (Fredericksburg, Va./James Madison) continued her amazing rookie season by tying a school record with a 9.850 on the floor exercise to finish first along with UNCs Wilson. She finished third in the all-around with a 38.100. Lisa Mealey (Bensale, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie), won the uneven bars with a score of 9.750. Another freshman, Laura Moon (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro) finished third on the vault.
FRESHMAN EARNS EAGL GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Freshman Gillian Cote was named EAGL Gymnast of the Week after tying the school record with a 39.150 against Radford. She won three of the four events, including the balance beam, with a school record of 9.950, and the vault, recording the second-highest mark in school history of 9.800.
TERPS EXPLODE INTO 1999 SEASON WITH WIN OVER RADFORD
The Maryland gymnastics team opened its 1999 season with an impressive win over Radford University by a score of 192.375 to 185.125. Gillian Cote won the all-around competition and tied the school record with a 39.150. She took first place in three of the four individual events and also finished third on the floor exercise.
In addition, the Terps had two gymnasts tie for second place in the all-around as freshman Laura Moon and junior co-captain Rachel Dolbin (Pottsville, Pa.) tied with a score of 38.525.
In the individuals, Moon won the floor exercise with a 9.750 and took second on the beam. Other placings included runner-up finishes by Dolbin and Kit Johnson in the vault and bars respectively.
TERP GYMNASTS TO FACE SOME OF THE NATIONS BEST IN 1999
Of Marylands 20 regular season opponents, seven finished in the top 25 last year. They include Florida (#4), West Virginia (#6), Washington (#7), Arizona State (#9), Nebraska (# 10), UCLA (#13), and NC State (#20). Maryland will face EAGL opponents West Virginia and NC State on twice each this season.
MARYLAND HEAD COACH BOB NELLIGAN
This marks the 20th season that Bob Nelligan will lead the Terrapin gymnastics program. He has compiled a lifetime record of 309-292-2 (.514 winning percentage) in that time and has only coached at Maryland. He has led the Terps to the NCAA Southeast Region Championships nine times, including six consecutive from 1983 to 89. Furthermore, prior to the Terps entrance into the Southeast Region in the 1983-84 season, the Terps competed in the East Region and qualified for the championships four of the seven seasons that they were members.
ASSISTANT COACH WENDY MARSHALL
Wendy Marshall begins her first season as an assistant coach after graduating from the University of Michigan in 1996. She brings tremendous experience, both in coaching and competition, with her and is expected to make an impact this year. She competed for four years at Michigan and was named the Gymnast of the Year in 1996.
