Aug. 6, 2004

College Park, MD - The next Top Terp Moment of the year came on March 6, 2004 when the gymnastics team set a new program-best with its overall score of 197.375. Pacing the Terps was Rachel Martinez who finished with a season-high all-around score of 39.600. The Terps scored a 49.175 on the vault, a 49.325 on the bars, a 49.350 on the balance beam and a 49.525 on the floor exercise for their total of 197.375. Despite the record-setting performance, Maryland fell to No. 5 Stanford, 197.775-197.375. Below is a complete recap of that night, but be sure to also check out the official box score as well. March 6, 2004
Stanford 197.775, Maryland 197.375
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland gymnastics team enjoyed its greatest performance of the year at home Saturday night against No. 5 Stanford. In fact, the team had the single greatest outing in school history, compiling a program-record score of 197.375. Finishing only slightly behind the Cardinal's 197.775, the meet went down as an emotional victory for the young Terrapin squad. The Terps began the meet with a bang, combining for a school-record 49.175 on the vault. Leading the way was sophomore Rachel Martinez, who scored a 9.9 to tie for fourth place with Stanford's Shelly Goldberg. Also competing well for the Terps were sophomore Rebecca Ruppert and senior Sarah Hoenig. Ruppert set a new career record of 9.85, and Hoenig added a 9.825 to the team score. Very notable for the team was the performance of sophomore Ginny Scott, in her first appearance in the vault lineup. She stood up a difficult vault to earn a 9.825. Moving on to the bars, the Terps could feel the momentum they had gained from the vault. Four gymnasts scored a 9.80 or above, leading to a team score of 49.325 that tied the school uneven bars record. Taking first place in the meet was junior Mandy Pascual, whose score of 9.925 tied her own school record and marked a season high. Finishing tied for fourth overall was junior Leah Brill with a career-high 9.90. Also setting a season-high score was sophomore Kristi Skowronski with a 9.875 that put her in seventh place. Martinez scored her fifth 9.850 of the season to aid in the record-setting team performance. The Terps continued their outstanding evening on the balance beam, earning a 49.350 that was good enough for fourth place on the program history list. Hoenig finished tied for first place on the apparatus-her seventh title this season-tying her career-high with a 9.925. Close behind tied for third place were three Terps with a 9.90-Martinez, sophomore Alex Gatch and freshman Rachel Colon. Martinez tied her season-high on the event, while the 9.90 marked a career-best for Colon and a tie of the career-best score for Gatch. Finishing the night on the crowd-favorite floor exercise, the Terps dazzled the 1,100 fans in attendance with five scores of a 9.875 or above. They combined for a score of 49.525 that is the second-best total in school history. Setting the pace were Brill and freshman Marisa St. Louis, each with a 9.875. The score marked a new career-high for St. Louis and tied the career-high for Brill. Also setting a new personal record score was Hoenig with a 9.90 that put her tied for fourth place overall. Scott and Martinez tied their respective career-highs of 9.925 and 9.95 respectively, both set Wednesday night versus George Washington. The 9.95 gave Martinez her fourth consecutive floor title and fifth of the season. Finishing with a season-high all-around of 39.600, Martinez tied for first place with Stanford's Caroline Fluhrer for her sixth all-around title of the year. Finishing third was the Cardinal's Lindsay Wing with a 39.425. The Terps' record-breaking score of 197.375 puts them in even better position to qualify for the Southeast Regional Championships and should raise their standing in the national rankings. With one regular-season home meet left on March 12, the Maryland gymnastics team looks to continue its strong finish and push towards postseason action.