Feb. 22, 2004

Complete Results

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The Maryland gymnastics team took third today in Morgantown, W.Va., finishing behind No. 23 West Virginia and No. 13 Michigan. The Terps combined for a 194.950, led by two first-place finishes by sophomore sensation Rachel Martinez. Host West Virginia, celebrating 30 years with head coach Linda Burdette, won the meet with a 196.375, upsetting the Wolverines who were close behind with a 196.200.

Competition began a little rough for the Terps as they were forced to count a fall on the balance beam. Fortunately, setting the pace for the team was junior Leah Brill, who scored a solid 9.775. Freshman transfer Rachel Colon, competing against her former Wolverine teammates, also notched a 9.775. Sophomore Rachel Martinez posted the best score for Maryland on the event with a 9.850 to tie for fourth. Taking first on the beam was former Olympian Elise Ray, who added a near-perfect 9.975 to the Wolverine score. After the first event, the Terps had some ground to make up. Showing their maturity, they were able to propel themselves back into the runnings with an excellent floor set.

Sophomore Cameron Logan, a consistent force on the floor for the team this season, posted a 9.8. From there, the scores began to climb, as freshman Marisa St. Louis scored a 9.825 and senior Sarah Hoenig followed with a 9.850. Sophomore Ginny Scott, in the No. 5 position of the lineup for the first time this season, delivered her fourth 9.9 of the year to tie for fifth. A four-way tie for first place marked the top score of the night-a 9.925 shared by Martinez, Michigan's Ray and Lindsey Bruck and West Virginia's Jessica Bartgis. Halfway through the meet, the Terps were only .200 away from first place, scoring a 49.300 on floor that marked the sixth-best floor total in program history.

The Terps may have carried a little too much of their energy onto the vault, as several gymnasts made their vaults but hit the mats with too much power to stick the landings. St. Louis set a good start for the team with a 9.65, and notching an identical score was Colon. Sophomore Rebecca Ruppert had yet another great vault, this time receiving a 9.7 which was bested only by Hoenig's 9.8. Martinez found herself with a bit too much power on her landing, but was able to add a 9.675 to the team total.

Ending on a strong event-the uneven bars-Maryland showed its consistency and performed very solid routines. Martinez tied for first place on the event with Michigan's Ray, scoring a career-high 9.925. The mark ties the school record on the apparatus, currently held by junior Mandy Pascual and three former Terp gymnasts. Martinez now owns three school records, including program-best all-around and vault scores. The next-best bars score of the night for the Terps was set by Pascual with a 9.825 to tie for fifth. Also posting high scores were Brill and Scott with a 9.775 and 9.725, respectively.

Martinez finished in third place all-around with a score of 39.375, behind West Virginia's Jenae Cox, who set a career-high 39.550 to finish second. The all-around champion of the meet was Ray with a 39.750, who won or shared titles in every event for Michigan. Next up for the Terps is a Feb. 28 meet at Rutgers, where the squad looks to continue to better its average team score in preparation for post-season competition.