March 8, 2010

Meet Results

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Maryland gymnastics team improved to 11-7 Sunday afternoon when it earned its highest overall team score since 2005. The Terps earned an overall score of 195.650 by tying the team record on vault and earning season highs on vault, bars and floor.

"The team put up another great performance tonight and came away with another great score on the road," head coach Brett Nelligan said. "This team just gets better and better each week."

The Terps opened the meet on beam, earning their second-highest team score of the year with a 48.775. Senior Brandi George earned a season-high 9.875 to finish fifth in the event. With strong scores all the way around, the beam performances set the tone for the rest of the meet.

"We knew we needed to come out and put up a solid performance on our first event to set the tone for the meet. That's something we really focused on all week," Nelligan said.

Moving on to floor exercise, junior Abigail Adams earned her second 9.900 of the year, putting her at second in the event. Freshman Kesley Cofsky was fifth with a 9.850. The Terps earned a 49.050, their highest team floor score of the year.

On vault, sophomore Kyra Phillips earned a 9.900 to finish third, while Ally Krikorian earned a 9.850. They scored a 49.175, which tied the highest vault team score in team history, set in March 2004. Five Terps earned 9.800s or higher in the event.

In the bars competition, junior Kaitlyn Joseph and Adams tied with a 9.775. They earned a team score of 48.650, also a season-high for the team.

George finished fifth in the all-around with a 39.200, the team's second-highest all-around score of the year. This was her first meet competing in the all-around of the year.

"It's great to have Brandi back in the all-around and for her to come out and go 4 for 4 on her first night back shows the type of competitor she is," Nelligan said.

No. 17 Penn State won the quad meet with a 196.725, while No. 12 Michigan finished with a 196.525. The Terps were third and Bridgeport earned a team score of 193.200.

Maryland will stay on the road next weekend, as it travels to Penn for a quad meet with Temple and Southern Connecticut State on Friday, March 12 at 7 p.m.