Terps To Compete In Challenging Tri-Meet

Feb. 19, 2004

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - In a sport not dominated by wins and losses, the Terps are right where they want to be just past the halfway point of the regular season. Although sitting at a .500 mark with a 6-6 overall record, the 2004 squad is having the best year in program history, averaging a team score just under 195 with seven meets down. After posting the fourth-best score in program history (196.350) against Iowa on Valentine's Day, the young squad appears strong going into Sunday's competition against perennial powerhouse Michigan and EAGL rival West Virginia.

A Very Happy Valentine's Day

The Terps faced No. 8 Iowa in just their second home meet of the season on Feb. 14. Although ending in a loss, the meet was a giant leap forward for Maryland, as the team scored a season-best 196.350 and posted season-best totals on each apparatus.

The team started the competition off on the right foot, combining for a 49.025 on vault-a new school record. Sophomore Rachel Martinez led the way, scoring a 9.9, followed by senior co-captain Sarah Hoenig with a career-high 9.875. Also chiming in with a new career high was sophomore Rebecca Ruppert with a 9.825.

For the first time this year, all six gymnasts scored a 9.825 or better on the floor exercise. Sophomore Ginny Scott poured in a 9.9, her third of the season, while Hoenig notched a season- and career-high 9.875. Junior Leah Brill and freshman Marisa St. Louis also notched season-highs, a 9.825 and a 9.850, respectively.

Maryland succeeded on the beam as well, with four gymnasts posting scores of 9.825 or higher. Hoenig led the way with a 9.9, followed by freshman Rachel Colon's 9.875. Martinez and sophomore Alexandria Gatch, a 2003 second team All-EAGL beam honoree, recorded scores of 9.825.

Marvelous Martinez

Rachel Martinez continues to shine bright in 2004 as she garnered her second EAGL Gymnast of the Week award of the season this past week. This marks the fourth time she has received the honor in her collegiate career.

Martinez, the 2003 EAGL all-around champion, posted two of the conference's top all-around scores last week. Against Iowa, Martinez finished second in the all-around with a score of 39.475. She also finished second on floor (9.9), third on vault (9.90) and fourth on bars (9.85) and beam (9.825).

In a win against George Washington on Feb. 11, Martinez took the all-around title with a 39.50 score. Highlighting her performance was a school-record 9.95 on the vault as she finished first on the event. She also placed second on bars (9.85), fifth on floor (9.80) and tied for first place on beam (9.90).

Old School, New School

Two of Michigan's former gymnasts are in the Maryland ranks this year. Assistant Coach Wendy Marshall competed for the Wolverines from 1993-1996 and was part of four NCAA-qualifying squads. She co-owns the record for highest floor score by a Michigan gymnast at the NCAA Championships, scoring a 9.950 on the event in 1996.

Redshirt freshman Rachel Colon joins the Terps this season as a transfer from Michigan, and has quickly established herself as a consistent contributor to the team score, competing on the vault, bars and beam.

Joining the Mountaineers this season is junior Lequita Williams, who competed for Maryland in 2002 before seeing limited action due to injury in 2003. As a Terp, Williams posted a career-high 9.725 on the bars at the 2002 EAGL Championships.

MEET THE OPPONENTS

The Michigan Wolverines:

The Wolverines are ranked 13th nationally and boast a 6-2 record in 2004. The squad is a perfect 6-0 at home, with both of its losses occurring on the road. However, Michigan looks solid after pulling off an upset of No. 4 Utah, 196.725-196.350, on Feb. 14 and has a season-high score of 197.075.

Led by the senior duo of Calli Ryals and co-captain Elise Ray, a former Olympian, Michigan boasts a good mix of experience and youth with six upperclassmen and six underclassmen. Against Utah, Ryals and Ray took first and second place in the all-around competition, respectively. Ryals posted a 39.500, while teammate Ray notched a 39.300.

The young guns have stepped up for the Wolverines as well, as sophomore Jenny Deiley came in second on the vault against Utah, while freshman Lindsey Bruck took fourth on the balance beam.

Maryland is 1-1 all-time vs. Michigan, and last competed against the Wolverines in Michigan on Feb. 26, 2000. The Wolverines prevailed at that meet, 197.275-193.000.

The West Virginia Mountaineers:

The Mountaineers are ranked 23rd nationally with a 7-3-1 record. West Virginia did not compete last week and its most recent win came against Cornell on Feb.8, where it scored a season-high 196.725.

Against Cornell, the Mountaineers posted the fifth-best team score in program history and set a new school record on the vault (49.475). Coincidentally, this is similar to the Terps' last outing, where they posted the fourth-best team score in school history and also set a new record on vault.

The West Virginia squad is led by senior Jessica Bartgis, who won the all-around competition with a personal-best 39.450 against Cornell. The Maryland native also notched a perfect 10.0 on vault in the process. In addition, Bartgis earned EAGL Gymnast of the Week honors on Feb. 9 for her strong performance.

Other key performers for West Virginia are juniors Kari Williams and Carri Nagle. Williams scored a 9.925 on the vault against the Big Red in her best event.

Sunday's meet will celebrate 30 years of WVU gymnastics under head coach Linda Burdette. West Virginia leads the all-time series against Maryland, 26-15, last meeting the Terps at the 2003 EAGL Championships. Maryland had the narrow victory in that contest, 195.775-195.650.

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