Terps Welcome #11 Minnesota In Big Ten Opener
1/14/2015 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The Maryland gymnastics team opens Big Ten competition Thursday, January 15th, when they welcome #11 Minnesota at 7 p.m. at the XFINITY Center. Thursday's meet marks the first conference competition for the Terps in the inaugural season in the Big Ten.
Maryland (0-2, 0-0 B1G) will look to rebound from losses against West Virginia and George Washington at home last week. The Terps dominated on vault and floor, but uncharacteristic mistakes on bars ultimately halted their comeback efforts.
Senior Katy Dodds made her debut in the Terps' lineup last week on vault, bars and floor after a season-ending injury in 2014. Maryland also received key contributions from Shannon Skochko, Ebony Walters, Dominiquea Trotter, and Nicole Dragon. Senior Stephanie Giameo registered the highest score of the meet (9.875) in the anchor position on the beam.
Maryland currently ranks sixth nationally on floor and 11th on vault. Stephanie Giameo ranks tied for 13th nationally on beam and Ebony Walters and Kathy Tang are tied for 24th on floor. Thursday marks the third all-time meeting between the Terps and the Gophers.
The Terps will host a pre-meet party for the first 250 RSVPs. For more information on reserving a spot visit umterps.com/premeetparty. The first 100 fans will also receive a complementary rally towel to commemorate the inaugural Big Ten meet. The team will also sign post-meet autographs.
Last Time Out
· The team fought hard, but was ultimately edged by West Virginia and George Washington in the inaugural Beauty and the Beast meet.
· Despite individual wins on floor and beam, the Terps could not get past the Mountaineers and Colonials. George Washington triumphed with a final score of 194.325. West Virginia was second with a 193.500 and the Terrapins closely behind with a 193.025.
· The GymTerps set an attendance record last meet, with 2091 fans in attendance.
Scouting the Gophers
· Minnesota starts the season 1-0 after a 194.950-193.475 over then-ranked, 25, Iowa State.
· The meet against Maryland marks the Gopher's Big Ten conference opener.
· Junior Lindsay Mable earned Co-Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors for her performance in the all-around competition.
Vaulting to the top
· Maryland currently ranks 11th in the nation on vault with a score of 48.975.
· The Terps also rank in the top ten, sixth, on floor with a score of 49.100. No Terp registered a score of 9.800 or lower on floor against WVU and GW.
Beam me up, Stephy
· Senior Stephanie Giameo currently ranks tied for 13th nationally on beam with a 9.875 high.
· Giameo registered the highest score of the meet against WVU and GW with a 9.875 on beam. She also competed on floor.
The B1G 4-0
· The 2015 campaign marks the 40th season of gymnastics at the University of Maryland. Maryland gymnastics holds a program record of 604-519-6 with a 95-80 conference mark over the 40-year tenure.
· This season also marks the Terps inaugural season in the Big Ten conference. The Terps host #11 Minnesota and defending Big Ten Champion #5 Michigan at the XFINITY Center.
Event Multimedia:
· Fans can watch the meet on BTN2Go.com and follow along with live stats on Maryland.Statbroadcast.com once the meet begins. Also, follow @TerpsGymnastics on Twitter for live updates throughout the meet.
-Terps-
