April 17, 2000

Sophomore Laura Moon (Scottsdale, Ariz.) closed out the season for the Maryland women's gymnastics team on Thursday night as she finished 14th in the second session and 23rd overall in the preliminary round of the NCAA Championships at Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. Moon competed well in each event, not earning less than a 9.700 in any event and finishing with a 38.950 in the all-around. Despite her solid performances, Moon did not score high enough to advance to the final competition.

Gymnastics Team Earns President's Cup

For the second consecutive year, the women's gymnastics team has earned the President's Cup Award. The team received the recognition for being the women's athletic team with the highest cumulative overall combined grade point average for the past two semesters. Individually, senior Elize Burke (Bowdoinham, Maine) was the recipient of an Academic Achievement Award for being the junior or senior with the highest GPA on the team.

Also recognized for communtiy service were seniors Shannon Buckley (Scotch Plains, N.J.), Shelly Hernandez (Silver Spring, Md.), and Burke and juniors Karyn Fein (Charlotte, N.C.) and Jodi Morgan (East Petersburg, Pa.). Burke and Fein were among the top six athletes in the school recognized for outstanding community service.

Terrapins Place Fourth At Regionals

Sophomore Laura Moon placed third in the all-around with a 39.075 as the then-No. 17 Maryland women's gymnastics team earned a 193.775 to place fourth at the 2000 Southeast Region Championships on Saturday, April 1. Then-No. 3 Georgia earned first place with a 196.725, followed by then-No. 11 Brigham Young with a 194.700. Both Georgia and Brigham Young advanced to the NCAA Championships. Then-No. 23 Towson placed third with a 194.325 and then-No. 13 N.C. State and George Washington rounded out the team scoring placing fifth and sixth with scores of 193.475 and 191.650, respectively. Despite placing fourth, the Terps won beam with a 48.750 and tied with Brigham Young for second on bars with a 48.650. Maryland concluded the season 19-12 overall with a .613 winning percentage.

Individuals Shine At Southeast Region Meet

In addition to Moon's strong performanc at regionals, many other Terps competed well. Sophomore Gillian Cote (Fredericksburg, Va.) was also a strong performer for the Terps, earning sixth place in the all-around with a 38.925 and earning fourth place on beam with a 9.825. Cote and sophomore Lisa Mealey (Bensalem, Pa.) both placed 15th on bars with a score of 9.725.

Junior Jill Fisher (Huntington, N.Y.), who is currently No. 1 in the nation for the floor exercise earned a 9.825 on floor, placing eighth and tying for the fourth highest floor score of the evening. Fisher also earned a 9.700 on beam. Also earning a 9.700 on beam was sophomore Kit Johnson (Virginia Beach, Va.). Johnson was the Terps' highest finisher on vault with a 9.700.

Other high finishers for Maryland included Cote and Fisher placing 20th on vault with a score of 9.625, senior co-captain Rachel Dolbin (Pottsville, Pa.) placing 19th on bars with a 9.700. Cote placed 26th on floor with a 9.750, followed by Moon and co-captain Christine Holcombe (McMurray, Pa.) who both earned a 9.725.