Dec. 13, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
With just less than a month remaining until the regular season commences, the University of Maryland gymnastics team held its annual Red vs. Black intrasquad meet Saturday afternoon in the Comcast Center Pavilion.
The Terps conducted the intrasquad similarly to how a regular-season meet is run, splitting into two teams to compete in all four events. Fueled by a strong closing performance on floor exercise, the red squad - consisting of senior Kelsey Nelligan, juniors Brandi George and Margaux Meeks, sophomore Abbey Adams and freshman Kyra Phillips - bested the black squad by a narrow margin.
Head coach Bob Nelligan, who is preparing for his 31st season at the helm of the program, came away impressed with his team, and especially with his highly-touted, six-member junior class. The longtime coach singled out George, Meeks and fellow junior Candice King for their efforts during Saturday's meet.
"The intrasquad is always a great opportunity to see where we stand and how we need to get better," Nelligan said. "Brandi is obviously a leader for us, but we expect that entire class to provide leadership this season. We have great expectations for them."
Performing at the collegiate level for the first time, Maryland's freshman duo of Kyra Phillips and Becca Pang provided a glimpse of the program's future on Saturday. Phillips participated in all four events, while Pang competed on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
"For their first performance, I thought Kyra and Becca did a very nice job today," Nelligan said. "We are really looking forward to having them contribute to our team."
The fan-friendly nature of the intrasquad was apparent from the start, as the gymnastics program invited guest coaches and judges from the Maryland Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Terrapin football players Obi Egekeze and Paul Lariviere, men's basketball player Jerome Burney and women's soccer play Molly Dreska served as judges for the meet. Head diving coach Anton Slobounov, head women's water polo coach Carl Salyer and athletics department employee Carrie Bittman acted as coaches.
The Terps open the regular season by playing host to Kent State at 7 p.m. Jan. 9 in the Comcast Center Pavilion.
