Jan. 27, 2007
The Terrapins struggled at the start of the competition with falls from the first two competitors, Angela Ferg and Talia Tossone. Ferg tumbled a clean double tuck; front layout front layout; front full to punch front (fall). Tossone mounted with a double pike (fall); Rudi; front layout punch front. Freshman Michele Brenner put the team back on track by hitting her front through to double tuck; double pike; front layout - front layout. Gretchen Kittelberger tumbled a double tuck; whip half - front layout; double pike. Morgan Fishbein routine (9.650) included a two and half twist; whip half front full; double tuck. Anchor Brandi George completed a very clean, graceful routine (9.775)- double pike; front full - front pike; double tuck. The other teams could not escape troubles on the floor; West Virginia had three gymnasts fall in the routines. Both Kentucky and UNC had three low scores due to falls and large errors, which gave the Terps the highest floor total (47.600).
In the second rotation on vault, the Terrapins tallied a 48.050. Due to injuries, the team competed three vaults with less than a ten start value. Freshman Candice King vaulted a very clean layout Yurchenko (one step). Junior Lindsey Bonomo had three steps out of her front handspring front tuck. Senior Marisa St. Louis sat down her handspring front tuck (9.000). Freshman Margaux Meeks had one large step on her Arabian Yurchenko, 9.625. Freshman Brandi George and senior Angela Ferg tied for the team's highest score (9.775) with full twisting Yurchenkos.
The team put it together on uneven bars and hit all of their routines. The event total of 48.225 was the Terp's highest event score. Meeks led off with a Schaposchnikova; higgins to a straddle back handstand; uprise handstand to giant full turn to a double tuck dismount (large step). Brenner hit her best bar set of the season; cast handstand hop - front giant half - Pak salto; stuck double pike dismount. King hit routine (9.600) for the first time this season; giant full to Tkatchev; giant full to double tuck dismount. Senior Rachel Colon notched the team's second highest score, 9.725. Her routine included and uprise handstand half - giant full - giant half - Geinger - uprise half; stuck double pike dismount. Freshman Allie Dama turned in the team's highest score for the third week in a row with a 9.750; giant full - Tkatchev - straddle back to handstand; stuck full-twisting double back dismount.
Entering the final rotation the Terps were not far off from second place. Kittelberger was a solid lead-off performer, 9.525. Her routine included handspring - handspring - layout stepout (balance check); straddle jump to tuck-open swingdown; front full dismount. Unfortunately, the team suffered two falls from Colon and Brenner; both fell on the acro series. The final three gymnasts solidly hit their routines to give the Terps a 47.525. Tossone and Ferg had a few minor balance checks in their routines for scores of 9.600 and 9.675. Tossone's skills included a punch front; back handspring layout step-out; front aerial; switch leap to one-arm back handspring; Rudi dismount. Ferg mounted with a front tuck; back handspring layout- stepout layout step-out; switch leap straddle jump series. Anchor George nailed her routine, but only received a 9.650. George rocked her set of George I (gainer front aerial) - back handspring layout stepout series; George II (gainer side somi); double tuck dismount. Amplitude deductions on her dance series accounted for the low score.
George had an excellent competition, earning her season-high all-around score. She placed second (38.825) to West Virginia's standout, Janae Cox (39.225).
Notables from Competition
Cox vaulted a solid Arabian Yurchenko. She tumbled a double pike mount and double tuck dismount on floor. Cox's teammate, Tynisha Dennis, tumbled full twisting double tuck; front through to double tuck; double pike dismount for a 9.750.
UNC freshman Christine Nguyen was outstanding. She vaulted a very clean 1 ½ twisting Yurchenko with a tiny hop (9.825). Nguyen also demonstrated grace and wonderful flexibility during her beam routine; switch leap - gainer layout stepout; tour jete half; back handspring layout stepout; side somi; double full dismount.
Kentucky's Hillary Ferguson undoubtedly displayed the most explosive tumbling of the night; sky-high full twisting double pike mount and double tuck dismount.
