No. 21 Maryland (2-0) at No. 17 Minnesota (5-0)
January 27, 2024
Maturi Pavilion
5:00 p.m. ET
B1G+
COLLEGE PARK, MD - The No. 21 Maryland gymnastics team travels to take on No. 17 Minnesota Saturday night at Maturi Pavilion. The meet is set to begin at 5 p.m., and fans can watch the action live on B1G+.
SETTING THE STAGE
- The Terps opened their conference schedule with a 196.450-195.550 win over Rutgers.
- The Terps set a new season high against Rutgers after recording a 196.150 in their opening meet against West Chester.
- Senior Alexa Rothenbuescher had an electric performance on the floor leading the Terps with a 9.925, tying her career best.
- Freshman Natalie Martin continued to lead the Terps on vault with a score of 9.850 against the Scarlet Knights. Martin also recorded scores of 9.850 on the beam and 9.850 on the floor. Martin was named a Big Ten Gymnast to Watch before the season.
- Junior Rhea LeBlanc put together a notable performance on bars leading the Terps with a score of 9.850.
- Junior Josephine Kogler continues to dominate the beam with a score of 9.875 vs. Rutgers.
- The GymTerps are now ranked No. 21 in the Road to Nationals rankings following their Rutgers meet victory.
- Maryland now stands at No.1 in the Big Ten and at No. 8 in the nation on beam in the Road to Nationals ranking.
- Maryland opened the season against West Chester tying their best season opening score in program history with a 196.150.
Graduate Student
Emma Silberman ranks ninth all-time in Maryland gymnastics history in career points scored and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2023
50 Years of Maryland gymnastics
- In the 2023-24 season, Maryland gymnastics will celebrate its 50th year of competition.
- The team's first year of action came in 1973-74, when head coach Patricia Long assembled a roster of seven student-athletes to practice in the annex gym of Cole Field House. Four head coaches and 49 years later, the Terps fielded a roster of 22 gymnasts that competed on the XFINITY Center court during the 2022-23 season.
- The 2023-24 season will serve as a celebration of the progress the program has made since its inception. Read more about The Lost Years of Maryland Gymnastics and how one women's story set up this season's 50th year celebration.
Brett Nelligan enters his fifteenth season as head coach of the Terrapins in 2023-24. Nelligan became the fourth head coach in program history on May 1, 2009, following the retirement of his father, Bob Nelligan.
Checking out the schedule
- The GymTerps will host four dual meets this season along with one quad meet at the XFINITY Center in 2024 while hitting the road for eight competitions leading up to the 2024 B1G Championships in East Lansing, MI.
- Following Minnesota, the GymTerps will be hosting Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 4 and Nebraska on Saturday, Feb. 10.
- Big Ten competition concludes with a pair of road meets, starting with the team's final Big Ten dual meet against Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 18. Maryland closes out Big Ten competition at the annual Big Five Meet on Saturday, Feb. 24 hosted by Penn State in State College, PA. In the five-way meet, Maryland will compete against the hosting Nittany Lions, along with Illinois, Iowa and Michigan.
- In March, the GymTerps will host their final home event of the season in a quad meet against Central Michigan, George Washington and William & Mary on Friday, March 1. A quartet of road meets round out non-conference competition, as the GymTerps travel to New Haven, CT to compete in a quad meet against Yale, Southern Connecticut State and New Hampshire at the Yale University campus. Another quad meet follows at Temple University in Philadelphia on Thursday, March 7 as Maryland competes against the Owls, along with North Carolina State and Penn.
- The GymTerps have their final dual competition of the campaign on the road against in-state rival Towson on Sunday, March 10. Maryland rounds out the regular season with the Collegiate Classic in Nashville, TN on Saturday, March 16 to close out the regular season. Postseason competition begins with the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 23 in East Lansing, MI. The NCAA Regional meets will take place between April 3 and 7, where Maryland hopes to improve upon its program-best 196.675 score from 2023. The NCAA semis and finals will be held in Fort Worth, TX between April 18 and 20.
Josephine Kogler earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors after a stellar 2023 on beam and vault.
Advancing her passions
- Junior Victoria Gatzendorfer has fully embraced what it means to be a student-athlete at the University of Maryland. Gatzendorfer has taken advantage of every opportunity to set herself up for success in her career following gymnastics.
- Read more about Victoria's exploration and rich experiences in Sports Management after transferring to Maryland.
- Gatzendorfer also demonstrates what it means to be a dedicated student and a stellar athlete with scores of 9.775 on bars and a 9.825 on beam in this past week's meet against Rutgers.
