March 4, 2009

ACC Select

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland gymnastics team enters the final weeks of the 2009 regular season hoping to be beneficiaries of a back-loaded home schedule.

After playing host to just three home meets during the season's first two months, the Terrapins commence a stretch of having three meets in the Comcast Center Pavilion in a span of nine days when they take on North Carolina and Temple at 7 p.m. Friday.

Despite not having its best performance last Saturday at No. 21 Iowa, Maryland (10-6, 7-2 East Atlantic Gymnastics League) remains second in the league behind West Virginia with a team RQS of 194.930. The Terps, who are 4-0 at home this season, secured a season-best score of 195.100 during their most recent meet in College Park - a victory over New Hampshire on Feb. 20.

Maryland has been led all season by its pair of all-around performers, junior Brandi George and sophomore Abbey Adams. George, who tied for first on balance beam last Saturday against the Hawkeyes, sits atop the EAGL on all-around (39.045 RQS) and Adams ranks seventh (38.750 RQS).

Fellow EAGL representative North Carolina bested Maryland, 194.450 to 193.675, during their previous encounter this season in the Governor's Cup Feb. 7 in Raleigh, N.C. The Tar Heels, whose roster boasts reigning EAGL Gymnast of the Year Christine Nguyen, currently rank fourth in the EAGL (194.100 team RQS).

"We are excited to have an opportunity to perform at home in front of our fans these final three meets," head coach Bob Nelligan said. "But as has been the case all season, we will have our work cut out for us against squads like North Carolina and Temple."

Friday's meet is free and open to the public. ACC Select will provide live streaming of the meet over the Internet (ACC Select).

Last Time Out
Brandi George tied for first place on balance beam and the Terrapins enjoyed solid team performances on vault and floor exercise, but it was not enough, as No. 25 Maryland fell to No. 21 Iowa, 194.875 to 192.175, in a dual meet last Saturday. Performing away from home for the fifth time in as many weeks, the Terps could not keep pace with Big Ten power Iowa, a reigning NCAA Regionals qualifier, despite another consistent effort from their junior co-captain. George shared the individual title on balance beam (9.825) and tied for third on floor exercise (9.800) en route to an all-around score of 39.050. It marked George's fifth all-around mark exceeding 39.000 this season.

Maryland was at its best during its middle rotations, recording team scores of 48.700 on vault and 48.775 on floor exercise. Abbey Adams and Kyra Phillips both tallied marks of 9.800 on vault to lead the team. The Terps' ensuing floor rotation saw George, Adams and Michele Brenner each post scores of 9.800 to tie for third place individually. That trio - along with Phillips, Talia Tossone and Kaitlin Joseph - helped Maryland claim its second-best team floor exercise score of the season in a road meet

Scouting the Competition
• North Carolina (14-8) is tied for the EAGL lead in victories and ranks fourth in the league with a team RQS of 194.100. The Tar Heels represent the EAGL's best team on balance beam (48.595 team RQS). They posted a season-best team score of 195.950 in a win over New Hampshire on Jan. 31.
• Reigning EAGL Gymnast of the Year Christine Nguyen paces the EAGL on balance beam (9.855 RQS) and also ranks third in the league on all-around (38.985 RQS). Fellow junior Kristina Jacob ranks sixth in the league on balance beam (9.775 RQS).
• Temple (7-7), a member of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), has a team RQS of 190.425 this season. The Owls, who are coming off a team title in the Southern Connecticut State Tri-Meet, rank among the nation's top-50 on balance beam with a team RQS of 47.750.
• Sophomore Katie Channing has twice garnered ECAC Gymnast of the Week honors this season and stands 76th in the nation on all-around (38.475 RQS). Senior Natasha Crawford also competes in all four events for the Owls.

Series History
Maryland has performed well historically against Temple, posting a 31-12 all-time record versus the Owls. The Tar Heels have a slight edge (39-35) in their series with the Terps. With the exception of local schools George Washington and Towson, North Carolina represents Maryland's most-faced opponent.

National Rankings
The Terps currently rank among the nation's top-35 teams in all four events, coming in at 30th on floor exercise (48.750), 30th on uneven bars (48.625 RQS), tied for 31st on balance beam (48.295) and 34th on vault (48.720). Individually, five Maryland gymnasts rank among the top-80 in the country in at least one event. Brandi George ranks 36th on all-around (39.045 RQS), tied for 47th on uneven bars (9.815) and tied for 73rd on balance beam (9.795). Abbey Adams stands tied for 57th on floor exercise (9.820), tied for 58th on all-around (38.750), tied for 63rd on uneven bars (9.805) and tied for 78th on vault (9.805). Michele Brenner ranks tied for 72nd on floor exercise (9.805), Talia Tossone stands tied for 75th on balance beam (9.780) and Kyra Phillips is tied for 78th on vault (9.805).

Did You Know
With her share of the balance beam title during the dual meet last Saturday at Iowa, Brandi George now has 29 individual titles during her career (12 all-around, nine balance beam, four floor exercise, two vault and two uneven bars). Nine of those titles have occurred during the 2009 season (three all-around, three beam, two bars and one floor).

Up Next
Following Friday's meet with North Carolina and Temple, Maryland continues its three-meet homestand to close the regular season by playing host to a rematch with EAGL foe Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, March 11, in the Comcast Center Pavilion.