Impact Of A Scholarship: Megan McClelland
Matt Gilpin, Maryland Athletics Staff Writer
12/16/2021
Gymnastics is one of the most physically and mentally demanding collegiate sports, making earning a scholarship to a high-level division one program much more difficult.
Megan McClelland did just that as she earned a full scholarship to the University of Maryland, where she starred for the Maryland Terrapins gymnastics team from 2016-19.
The Rock Hill, South Carolina, native, came up north, where she parlayed her athletic ability into an education and a network that is paying dividends now that she begins her career as a registered dietitian.
“Being on scholarship at the University of Maryland definitely meant the world to me,” McClelland said. “I was so incredibly grateful when I committed to Maryland and was given a scholarship. It provided me with an incredible education that allowed me to get where I am today as a registered dietitian. It allowed me to compete in a Division I school in gymnastics, which was definitely a dream for me since I was little. It also gave me incredible friendships that I have with my teammates and my coaches. I'm still good friends with them today and a lot of my teammates actually live in the area. It gave me friends and family for life.”
I would just want to thank [the donors] for their generosity to support me along with all of the other athletes. They make a huge difference. They provide them with incredible opportunities to attend the University of Maryland, so I would just send them a huge thank you.Megan McClelland
McClelland’s journey as a gymnast started as most do at a very young age. Unlike many sports, gymnasts can begin their training before they reach elementary school, which is exactly what happened for the future Maryland star.
Her parents never pushed her into gymnastics, but it was something that she was naturally talented at, and so it became something that she wanted to pursue.
“I started gymnastics when I was about four years old,” McClelland said. “My older brother was actually in classes, and so my family threw me into it as well. My brother didn't stick with gymnastics, but I did. When I was little, I did other sports like swimming, t-ball, ballet. But by the time I was about seven years old, that's generally when you start to compete and go to competitions. That's when I basically stopped all other sports and just continued with gymnastics. I loved it.”
As she grew older and progressed in her training, McClelland blossomed into a star for Southeastern Gymnastics, where she placed second on beam, third on floor, and fourth in the all-around at the 2015 NC State Championships.
She was also crowned the 2015 Atlanta Crown Invitational all around and bars champion and the 2015 Sand Dollar Invitational beam and floor champion.
So much of her success before college came after her commitment, as she pledged to the Terps much earlier than high school recruits typically do.
“I actually visited the University of Maryland in the fall of my sophomore year of high school,” McClelland said. “I had just visited a few schools a couple of weeks before Maryland, and I liked them and was considering them, but when I came to Maryland and met all the teams and saw the campus, I definitely fell in love. I was actually offered a scholarship soon after that visit to Maryland. So I firmly committed to the University of Maryland in my sophomore year [of high school] at a very early age.”
Being on scholarship at the University of Maryland definitely meant the world to me. I was so incredibly grateful when I committed to Maryland and was given a scholarship. It provided me with an incredible education that allowed me to get where I am today as a registered dietitian.Megan McClelland
Being on scholarship at a university like Maryland can provide many opportunities, and a lot of it stems from the resources given to the athletes.
Athletes are at Maryland are given access to tutors, training staff, nutritionists, and other supplies that help them maximize their time in College Park.
For a lot of athletes, a scholarship was their only chance even to attend college. While McClelland thinks it may have been possible to go without a scholarship, not having to pay those extra expenses made a world of difference.
“I was very thankful that I did not have to pay all that money,” McClelland said. “I didn’t have to worry about it throughout college. I was lucky enough to have a full scholarship with all of my schooling paid for, food, living expenses, which most college students do not receive and do have that financial burden. Being able to graduate debt-free not and not having to worry about money was a huge benefit of the scholarships.”
Academics also played a major role in McLelland’s life as she was in the Cum Laude Society in high school and named an Academic All-Big Ten her junior year. When she got to College Park, she took notice of things that she got that other students who were not on scholarships didn’t.
“I think one of the great opportunities is the academic support,” she said. “It's a huge thing, but other students don't get that. I think that was definitely beneficial especially through my particularly hard classes.”
Like all sports programs at the University of Maryland, the gymnastics team is a tight-knit group that builds their relationships with trust and through admiration for each other.
McClelland’s memories will last a lifetime and are only possible because of her maximizing her opportunities and earning a scholarship.
“One particular memory that I’ll always remember would be my senior year, my last floor routine that I could compete at Maryland at home,” McClelland said. “After I finished my floor routine, my teammates came in, rushed out onto the floor, and gave me hugs, and congratulated me. So I think that's definitely burned into my memory. It’s a really, really great memory.”
The love that McClelland has for her teammates remains to this day, but it’s not just her fellow gymnastics teammates that she holds dear. It’s the school itself. When she graduated and began her residency as a registered dietitian, as fate would have it, she would match with a place she knew well.
"I completed my residency and I matched with the University of Maryland program,” McClelland said. “Having those connections here allowed me with that opportunity.”
After reaping the full benefits of her scholarship, McLelland can now call Maryland home for the second time, this time in a professional capacity. Even when she was in college, she was grateful for all she received.
Now that she can take a step back and view the totality of what she earned through her scholarship, she’s even more thankful for the boosters and the donors for paying for her full-ride to the University of Maryland.
“I would just want to thank [the donors] for their generosity to support me along with all of the other athletes,” she said. “They make a huge difference. They provide them with incredible opportunities to attend the University of Maryland, so I would just send them a huge thank you.”
