March 20, 2004

Complete Results

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The University of Maryland gymnastics team finished in fifth place at this year's EAGL Championships, held in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 20. Combining for a team score of 196.025, the Terps were led by sophomore Rachel Martinez, who tied for second place all-around. The strong performance solidified the team's place at the NCAA Southeast Regionals, which will be held Saturday, April 3, in Raleigh, N.C.

Taking the 2004 team conference title was West Virginia with an EAGL championship record score of 197.050. In second was North Carolina with a 196.725, followed by NC State at 196.600. Maryland finished only .025 behind the host Pittsburgh Panthers, who totaled a 196.050 for fourth place. Notably, the Terps accomplished the score although having to count one fall in the meet, with Pittsburgh counting none. New Hampshire came in sixth place, scoring a 195.950, followed by Towson in seventh (194.650) and Rutgers in eighth (192.475).

Maryland began the meet on vault and received high scores from Martinez and senior Sarah Hoenig. Martinez scored the second-best mark of the evening, a 9.925, that put her tied for fourth place behind a three-way tie for first. Hoenig added a 9.875 to the team score, followed by sophomore Rebecca Ruppert with a 9.750. Freshman Marisa St. Louis also had a solid vault, scoring a 9.650. The Terps were in seventh place after the first rotation, but knew their best was yet to come.

Maryland moved on to the uneven bars and enjoyed multiple stuck dismounts and high scores. Their 49.300 total tied NC State for the best in the meet, and marked the second-best team bar score in Terp gymnastics history. Sophomore Kristi Skowronski scored a season-high 9.90 to lead the team, tying for second place with North Carolina's Olivia Trusty. Taking the bars title for the second year in a row was Towson's Juliya Kovaliova, who scored a 9.925. The next-highest score for the Terps was posted by Martinez-a 9.875 that tied her for sixth. Juniors Leah Brill and Mandy Pascual each scored a 9.850, followed closely by redshirt-freshmen Rachel Colon and Ginny Scott with identical scores of 9.825.

On the balance beam, Maryland again led the way with a meet-high 48.925. Hoenig and Martinez, who shared the conference event title in 2003, again performed solid routines to add to the team total. Hoenig's 9.875 put her tied for third place overall, and Martinez and Brill each scored a 9.80. Colon and sophomore Alex Gatch posted marks of 9.725, and sophomore Cameron Logan notched a 9.60 to make it six no-fall beam routines for the Terps. Placing first on the event was North Carolina's Courtney Bumpers, who scored a 9.925, followed by West Virginia's Gretchen Richter with a 9.90.

Concluding the meet on the floor, all six of Maryland's competitors turned in a 9.825 or above. The Terps totaled a 49.375 that is the fourth-best floor total in team history. Starting the squad off on the right foot was Logan with a 9.825. Posting an identical score was Brill, and both Hoenig and St. Louis notched 9.850's. Scott tied for seventh with her fifth 9.90 of the season, and Martinez tied for second place with her third 9.95 of the year. Taking the floor title was UNC's Bumpers with a perfect 10.0, marking the second year in a row a 10 had been the score of the event winner.

In the all-around, Martinez barely missed winning her second EAGL title, finishing tied for second just .025 behind Bumpers. Martinez's score of 39.550 put her on the podium beside West Virginia's Janae Cox, followed by the Mountaineers' Jessica Bartgis in fourth with a 39.500.

Next up for the Terps is NCAA Regionals, as their high team score solidified them a berth. The Southeast Regional Championships will be held at NC State on April 3, and will feature national top-five programs Florida and Georgia. The Terps must place either first or second at regionals to assure their first-ever appearance at the NCAA Championships.