Maryland
West Virginia with George Washington and Rutgers
Season-Best Score Propels Maryland to First-Place Finish
2/1/2009 7:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Feb. 1, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - For the second consecutive week, the University of Maryland gymnastics squad accumulated its best team score in nearly two years to claim victory in a multi-opponent meet. This time, however, the Terrapins' success came without the benefit of home cooking.
Led by junior Brandi George's all-around performance and a host of other season-high and career-high scores, the Terps bested East Atlantic Gymnastics League rivals West Virginia, George Washington and Rutgers during Saturday evening's quad-meet in the WVU Coliseum.
With a team score of 194.475, Maryland laid claim to its top overall mark since scoring a 194.700 on Feb. 23, 2007. That score enabled the Terps to beat the host Mountaineers (193.925), Colonials (191.775) and Scarlet Knights (187.950), despite competing away from the friendly confines of the Comcast Center Pavilion
"To walk into an opponent's home gym and come away with a great effort like that, I'm very proud of this team," said head coach Bob Nelligan, who now has 483 career victories. "Our gymnasts showed a great deal of character and determination with their performance this evening."
Maryland compiled the meet's best cumulative score on balance beam (48.750), enabling the team to erase an early deficit to 19th-ranked West Virginia, the reigning EAGL champions. The Terps posted season-best team scores on both balance beam and vault (48.875). Now at 6-1, Maryland is off to its best start since the 1999 season, having beaten its last five opponents.
George won the all-around with a score of 39.225, narrowly missing her career-best mark. The junior from Orlando, Fla., finished in the top-10 in all four events, claiming second place on balance beam (9.850) and fourth place on both uneven bars (9.800) and floor exercise (9.850). But Maryland's co-captain received plenty of help from her teammates.
Sophomore Abbey Adams tied for the individual victory on uneven bars and tied for second on floor exercise with a pair of career-best scores (9.850 and 9.900). Junior Michele Brenner finished second only to George in the all-around competition (career-high 38.475) behind a quartet of solid performances. Freshman Kyra Phillips added a career-best mark on vault (9.850) to earn a second-place finish, and junior Talia Tossone placed third on balance beam (9.825).
When it appeared the Terps were on the verge of faltering during the balance beam competition, junior Candice King came through with a strong routine that resulted in a season-high score (9.675) to help the team maintain momentum. Fellow junior Margaux Meeks enjoyed a season-best performance on uneven bars (9.725), and sophomore Kaitlin Joseph did likewise on floor exercise (9.725).
"This was truly a full-team effort," Nelligan said. "You can go straight down the list and see how each and every gymnast contributed for our team."
The Terps return to action at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Feb. 7, when they travel to Raleigh, N.C., to participate in the Governor's Cup. The 14th annual cup pits Maryland and Towson against NC State and North Carolina in a battle for state bragging rights.
