TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Maryland gymnastics team competes in the 2009 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Regional Championships at 7 p.m. ET Saturday in the University of Alabama's Coleman Coliseum.

The Terrapins, who rank tied for 35th in the nation with a team Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 194.625, represent one of six teams which qualified for the Northeast Region. They face No. 1 Alabama, No. 9 Oklahoma, No. 15 Missouri, No. 32 Central Michigan and No. 35 New Hampshire, as well as seven individual qualifiers, for the right to advance to the NCAA Championship.

The top two teams from each of six regional sites will advance to the 2009 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championship April 16-18 in Lincoln, Neb. The individual winner of each event also will advance on her own merits, as will the top two all-around performers who are not members of the top two teams.

Tickets for the event can be purchased by contacting the University of Alabama Ticket Office at 205-348-2262. Live stats, live radio and video streaming over the Internet of all the action in the gym from the Northeast Region will be available at the following link: Championship Central.

Maryland (15-14) begins Saturday's competition on balance beam followed by a bye during the second rotation. The team then competes on floor exercise and vault before having its second bye. The Terps conclude the meet on uneven bars. Individual qualifiers Alix Croop (beam, floor and bars) and Dani Bryan (vault) of Pittsburgh will compete in the same sequence as Maryland.

For The Terps, Saturday's meet represents the team's 19th regional appearance under head coach Bob Nelligan and its first since 2004. Nelligan, who garnered 2009 EAGL Coach of the Year honors, intends to retire following the conclusion of the season after a memorable 31-year career that has featured 493 victories and 19 winning seasons. He will be replaced by his son, associate head coach Brett Nelligan.

During the 2009 regular season, the Terps claimed their first top-25 national ranking since 2005, as well as their best overall score (195.100) in nearly four years. Maryland's team mark of 194.525 during the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championships on March 21 represents the squad's best in the annual league meet since 2005.

"This season has been a storybook ending to my career, and I could not ask for anything more than to still be competing," Bob Nelligan said. "Our team has persevered all season long, and this trip to Alabama is well-deserved. I am excited for us to go down there and see what we can do."

Last Time Out
Sophomore Abbey Adams claimed a share of the balance beam title as the Maryland gymnastics squad posted its best team score in the EAGL Championships in four years to place sixth in the annual league meet March 21 in NC State's Reynolds Coliseum before a record-crowd of 2,780.

The Terrapins secured a team overall of 194.525 to top George Washington (193.050) and Rutgers (189.125) and claim their best score in the EAGL Championships since tallying a team mark of 195.200 in 2005. That score boosted Maryland's team RQS by three-hundredths of a point, enabling the team to qualify for regional competition.

After a slow start to the meet on uneven bars, Maryland rebounded with an impressive performance on balance beam during the second rotation. Adams tied for first on beam with a career-best score of 9.875. Juniors Talia Tossone (tied for sixth - 9.825) and Brandi George (tied for ninth - 9.800) added top-10 finishes helping Maryland claim its top overall beam score of the season (48.975).

The ensuing floor exercise rotation saw George and Adams place tied for fourth (9.800). Junior Michele Brenner, who tallied a career-best score on balance beam (9.775), added a 13th-place finish on floor (9.750).

Maryland finished strong on vault, securing its third-best team score of the season in the event (48.925). Once again, Adams led the way, tying for fifth with a score of 9.850. Freshman Kyra Phillips, who earned first-team All-EAGL honors on vault Friday, finished tied for 10th in the event (9.825). Junior Candice King established a season-best score on vault (9.800) to claim 15th place. George (39.050) and Adams (38.825) finished fourth and eighth, respectively, in the all-around competition.

Scouting the Competition
• No. 3 Alabama (RQS: 196.925) has won 23 NCAA regional crowns and advanced to the last 26 NCAA Championships, winning the title four times. The Crimson Tide ranks among the top five in the nation in all four events and recently claimed the Southeastern Conference title. Junior Morgan Dennis ranks third in the nation on floor exercise (9.935 RQS) and tied for eighth on vault (9.915).
• No. 9 Oklahoma (RQS: 196.465) recently secured its second straight Big 12 Conference title. The Sooners ranked among the top 10 in the nation in all four events, including sixth on balance beam (49.175 RQS). Seniors Haley DeProspero and Ashley Jackson and freshman Megan Ferguson each claimed individual conference championships.
• No. 15 Missouri (RQS: 196.005) finished third at the Big 12 Conference Championships. The Tigers have been at their best this season on vault, ranking 11th in the nation (49.180 RQS). Junior Sarah Shire stands tied for 10th in the country on all-around (39.445).
• No. 32 Central Michigan (RQS: 194.825) finished second at the Mid-American Conference Championships. The Chippewas qualified for regional competition for the first time since 2005. Junior Katie Simon claimed four individual titles at the conference championships.
• No. 35 New Hampshire, which stands tied with Maryland (RQS: 194.625), finished fifth at the EAGL Championships. The Wildcats, who boast a season-best team score of 196.225, are led by junior Helena Diodati, who earned All-EAGL first team honors on vault and uneven bars. Sophomore Chelsea Steinberg tied for first on balance beam at the league championship meet.

Season Series
During the regular season, Maryland competed against two of their five regional opponents in fellow EAGL representative New Hampshire and Central Michigan. The Terps posted their season-best score of 195.100 to beat the Wildcats in a home dual-meet on Feb. 20, but New Hampshire narrowly bested Maryland, 194.650-194.525 during the EAGL Championships on March 21. The Chippewas topped the Terps, 194.700-194.375, during a tri-meet at Kent State on Feb. 15.

Regional History
Saturday's competition marks Maryland's first appearance as a full squad in the Northeast Region Championships. The team has competed in the Southeast Region Championships on 14 occasions, including six consecutive times from 1983-1989 and four straight times from 1998-2001. During its last full-team regional appearance in 2004, Maryland finished fifth with a team score of 194.575. The Terps enjoyed their best regional showing in 2001, when the team finished third with an overall mark of 195.580.

National Rankings
The Terps concluded the regular season ranked among the nation's top 37 teams in all four events, coming in at tied for 30th on balance beam (48.650 RQS), 35th on floor exercise (48.820) and uneven bars (48.755 RQS) and 37th on vault (48.840). Individually, four Maryland gymnasts rank among the top-100 in the country in at least one event. Brandi George ranks 54th on all-around (39.115 RQS) and tied for 77th on balance beam (9.815). Abbey Adams stands 66th on all-around (38.985), tied for 67th on floor exercise (9.845) and tied for 82nd on uneven bars (9.820). Kyra Phillips ranks tied for 76th on vault (9.840), and Talia Tossone is tied for 82nd on balance beam (9.810).

Did You Know
Now finishing his 31st and final season as the leader of the Terrapins' gymnastics program, Bob Nelligan currently represents the longest-tenured head coach at the University of Maryland. He arrived in College Park in 1979 at age 28 - the same age his son, associate head coach Brett Nelligan, will be when he takes over the program.

Up Next
The top two teams from each of six regional sites will advance to the 2009 NCAA National Collegiate Women's Gymnastics Championship April 16-18 in the University of Nebraska's Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb. The individual winner of each event also will advance on her own merits, as will the top two all-around performers who are not members of the top two teams.