March 6, 2009
Complete Results
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The University of Maryland gymnastics team has proven a resilient bunch all season, but perhaps never has that trait been on display more than during the team's home tri-meet Friday evening.
Overcoming a tough start on vault, the Terrapins responded with strong performances in the ensuing three events to accumulate a very respectable team mark of 194.300, and secure second place during Friday's competition in the Comcast Center Pavilion. That score enabled Maryland to improve its team RQS to 194.450, as the squad has now surpassed 194.000 in six of its last eight meets.
Fellow East Atlantic Gymnastics League representative North Carolina won the meet with a score of 195.775, and Temple took third with a mark of 188.150.
The Terps (11-7, 7-3 EAGL), who now have equaled their win total from a year ago, began the meet on vault and were plagued by bad luck and questionable judging. But rather than dwelling on its opening event, Maryland rallied for the final three rotations, starting with uneven bars.
Maryland tallied a team score of 48.750 on uneven bars, as junior Candice King (9.800) and sophomore Kaitlin Joseph (9.775) established new career-best scores, with King placing second overall in the event. Sophomore Kelsey McDermid and junior Margaux Meeks both stuck their landings, enabling McDermid (9.725) to tie her career-high mark and Meeks (9.725) to equal her season-best score.
The beam rotation saw Maryland enjoy its season-best performance, notching a team score of 48.850. Junior Talia Tossone's season-high score (9.850) was good for second place and equaled the Terps' best individual score on beam this season. King (9.750) and freshman Becca Pang (9.775) added career-best marks on beam, and each of the team's six competitors scored 9.675 or better.
Sophomore Abbey Adams capped a strong team effort on floor exercise by concluding Friday's meet with one of the Terps' top individual performances of the season. Scoring a career-best 9.925 as the team's anchor, Adams claimed the individual title on floor and posted Maryland's best score in the event since 2004.
Junior Brandi George captured third place in the all-around competition (38.950), demonstrating consistency by scoring 9.725 or 9.750 in all four events.
"Our team showed a lot of heart bouncing back from its first rotation," said head coach Bob Nelligan, who earned the 489th victory of his career. "It's a testament to our gymnasts that we were able to perform well during those last three events."
The Terps return to action Wednesday with the first of the two home meets to close the 2009 regular season. Maryland plays host to Pittsburgh at 7 p.m. Wednesday and takes on Arizona, Penn State and Yale at 4 p.m. next Saturday, March 14. Both meets will take place in the Comcast Center Pavilion and are free and open to the public.
