Feb. 5, 2009

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Riding a five-opponent win streak, the University of Maryland gymnastics squad travels to Raleigh, N.C., to participate in Saturday's Governor's Cup with added incentive to strive to continue posting impressive team and individual scores.

In addition to progressing as a team and improving their standing in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL), the Terrapins will have pride at stake when they compete in the 14th-annual Cup at 6 p.m. Saturday in North Carolina State's Reynolds Coliseum. The meet pits Maryland and Towson against league rivals NC State and North Carolina in a battle for bragging rights between the states of Maryland and North Carolina.

"We always look forward to this meet because it's fun and unique with the state rivalry," head coach Bob Nelligan said. "But we're also going to face several strong squads from our league, and this is an excellent opportunity for our team to continue to improve."

Maryland has been taking on its pair of North Carolina-based league rivals in the Governor's Cup for 13 seasons, but this year's meet includes an additional competitor. The 2009 edition of the Cup also features fellow EAGL representative New Hampshire, which boasts the league's only unblemished record at 7-0 and ranks second league-wide in team scoring average (193.681).

The quintet of teams competing Saturday evening has compiled relatively similar scores throughout the first month of the 2009 season. New Hampshire ranks 29th in the nation in team scoring average followed by North Carolina (No.36 - 193.067), Maryland (No. 39 - 192.725), NC State (No. 40 - 192.700) and Towson (No. 49 - 190.731).

Saturday's meet features four of the five best all-around performers in the EAGL in New Hampshire's Helena Diodati (38.975 average), North Carolina's Christine Nguyen (38.717), Maryland's Brandi George (38.700) and NC State's Taylor Seaman (38.665). All four gymnasts are juniors.

The Terps (6-1), who have not lost since Jan. 17, are off to their best start in 10 years entering Saturday's five-team competition.

Last Time Out
For the second consecutive week, Maryland accumulated its best team score in nearly two years to claim victory in a multi-opponent meet. With a team score of 194.475, the Terps produced their top overall mark since scoring a 194.700 on Feb. 23, 2007. That score enabled Maryland to defeat then-No. 19 West Virginia, George Washington and Rutgers in a quad-meet last Saturday in the WVU Coliseum. Junior Brandi George won the all-around title for the second straight week, and sophomore Abbey Adams' efforts on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise earned her EAGL Specialist of the Week honors.

Scouting the Competition
• NC State (1-6) represents Maryland's first repeat opponent of the season. The Terps beat the Wolfpack, 194.450 to 192.075, during a home tri-meet on Jan. 23. NC State is led by junior Taylor Seaman, who ranks third in the EAGL on floor exercise (9.820 average).
• New Hampshire, the league's last undefeated team, posted a season-best score of 196.225 to beat North Carolina in its most recent meet on Jan. 31. The Wildcats rank second in the EAGL on both vault (48.806 average) and floor exercise (48.712) and are led by junior Helena Diodati, who paces the league on all-around.
• North Carolina (5-4) boasts the best team average on balance beam in the EAGL (48.467). Leading the way for the Tar Heels this season is junior Christine Nguyen, who has the league's top individual average beam score this season (9.850).
• Towson is not a member of the EAGL, but has competed against Maryland at least once every season since 1987. The Tigers posted a season-high team score (192.850) to beat Brown and Pennsylvania in their most recent meet on Jan. 31.

National Rankings
The Terps currently rank among the nation's top 35 teams on both vault (30th - 48.562 team average) and balance beam (31st - 48.019 team average). Additionally, two Maryland gymnasts rank in the top 50 in the nation individually in their top respective events, as Brandi George stands tied for 48th on balance beam (9.787 average) and Abbey Adams also is tied for 48th on floor exercise (9.812 average).

Did You Know
The Governor's Cup has been a mainstay on Maryland's schedule since 1996. During that time, the Terps have posted an overall record of 19-19 in the cup, with an average team score of 192.900. The team's best performance came in 2000, when Maryland scored a 195.950 en route to sweeping NC State, North Carolina and Towson. The site of the cup rotates among the participant schools, and Maryland has played host to the meet on three occasions (1998, 2002 and 2006).

Up Next
Following Saturday's meet, the Terps travel northeastward for a pair of away meets during Valentine's Day weekend. Maryland competes at Pittsburgh on Friday, Feb. 13, and at Kent State with Central Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 15.