Maryland
NCAA Southeast Regional Championships
Terps End Season at NCAA Regionals
4/15/2007 8:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
April 15, 2007
Freshmen Brandi George and Talia Tossone closed the 2007 season for the Maryland gymnastics team Saturday at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship in Morgantown, W.V. The Terps gave strong performances, but did not qualify for the NCAA national championship. Only the top two teams advanced and the top two all-around performers (from teams not advancing). Also individual competitors would have to win their event in order to qualify to nationals.
George scored a 38.425 to place fifteenth in the all-around and Tossone earned a 9.475 for twenty-eighth place on the balance beam.
After the disappointment of missing the EAGL Championship due to illness, George ended her season on a bright note. She completed the championship with no major errors.
Beginning on the uneven bars, George swung a nice routine to earn a 9.525. Balance beam was her best event of the evening; she nailed all of her skills with only a small step on the dismount. She notched a 9.775, tying for fifth place. On the floor exercise, George slightly over-rotated her double pike mount, but was clean through the rest of her routine to score a 9.525. A low landing and two steps on her vault gave her a 9.600 score.
Shaking off a tough fall during warm-ups, Tossone solidly completed her beam routine with only a small stumble her dismount. She earned a 9.475 score on her only event of the competition.
The Terrapins will look to contend for a place in the 2008 NCAA Regionals as a team when the rules change next year and the top 36 team nationally earn births to regional championships. The team will be young and strong with a talented incoming freshmen class of Abbey Adams, Kaitlin Joseph, Alyssa Valbert and Kelsey McDermid and a seasoned sophomore class that gained a lot of experience competing as freshmen.
