April 10, 2010

Complete Results

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Maryland gymnastics team competed in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regional Championships Saturday evening at Penn State University. The Terrapins, competing as the 4-seed, earned an overall team score of 193.750.

Senior Brandi George and freshman Ally Krikorian were both strong competitors for the Terrapins, as both carried high scores in each of their events.

Krikorian finished third in the vault competition with a score of 9.900 - her fifth score of 9.900 or higher this season. She ended the year leading the East Atlantic Gymnastics League on vault.

George competed in the all-around for just the fourth time this season. She earned an all-around score of 38.825 to finish fifth in the all-around competition.

The Terps started the evening off on bars. George earned the Terrapins' highest score on the event with her 9.700.

"We got off to a rough start, but I was really proud of the way the team responded on the back three events," head coach Brett Nelligan said. "They especially turned it on in floor and vault. We had a great night on those two events."

Moving on to beam, senior Talia Tossone led the way with a 9.800, putting her in the top ten of the event. In her four years as a Terrapin, Tossone competed on beam in over 50 meets and never once fell off the beam. George followed her with a 9.700.

After having their bye on a rotation, the Terps returned to the mat for floor exercise. They earned an overall team score of 48.950- a top-three team floor score. Senior Michele Brenner, freshman Kesley Cofsky and Krikorian all earned 9.800s, while Tossone and George earned 9.775s.

The Terrapins finished off the night on vault - one of their consistently strong events all season. Behind Krikorian's 9.900, junior Abigail Adams earned a 9.850, Cofsky earned a 9.825, and junior Jennifer Iovino earned a 9.800. Sophomore Kyra Phillips earned a 9.725.

"The seniors finished so well," Nelligan said. "They hit every routine, so that was really special tonight." Oklahoma won the regional with a team score of 197.250. Louisiana State also moved on to the national championships with a team score of 196.400. Penn State came in third with a 196.050, EAGL opponent New Hampshire earned a 194.800 and Ohio State earned a 193.875.