No. 24 Maryland Gymnastics Set to Host Rutgers on Saturday
2/3/2026 12:10:00 PM | Gymnastics
No. 24 Maryland (5-1, 2-1 B1G) vs. Rutgers (4-3, 0-3 B1G)
February 7, 2026
XFINITY Center
6:00 p.m. ET
Free Admission
B1G+
This week's meet features our Baby Race! Watch the fastest crawlers compete during the meet—adorable chaos guaranteed!
SETTING THE STAGE
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Maryland remained in the top 25 of the Road to Nationals rankings this week, checking in at No. 24 to open week five.
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Maryland earned a 196.275–195.725 road win over Illinois and improved to 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten) on the season with its second-highest team score of the year.
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Freshman Emily DeFrees recorded a personal-best 9.900 on beam, capturing the event title for the meet.
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Sophomore Aine Reade recorded a pair of 9.900s, winning the floor event title and posting the Terps' highest score on bars.
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Junior Logan Buckmon posted a career-high 9.875 on vault.
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The last time the Terps faced Rutgers was last season in Piscataway, earning a 194.625–194.475 victory.
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Maryland recorded the highest floor event score in program history against No. 17 Penn State on January 24 with a 49.575.
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The score surpassed the previous program record of 49.550, set against Temple on March 10, 2000.
- Taylor Rech and Madeline Komoroski were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch entering the season.
- The Terrapins opened the 2026 season after recording the best NCAA Regional performance in program history, scoring a 196.825 and placing fourth in Session II of the NCAA Pennsylvania Regional last April.
- Maryland enters the meet with 11 new faces on the roster, including six freshmen and five transfers.
- The Terrapins are led by head coach Brett Nelligan, who is in his 17th season at the helm of the program.
- Nelligan signed a contract extension through June 2030, announced in August by Jim Smith, Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics.
Senior Taylor Rech was named a 2026 Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.
Checking out the schedule
- Maryland continues conference play with a road meet Michigan State (Feb. 15), and their next home contest against Nebraska (Feb. 20).
- The Terrapins travel west on Feb. 27 for the Big Four Meet in Los Angeles, facing UCLA, Ohio State and Iowa in a nationally televised match up on FS1.
- March features a series of quad meets, beginning with the Temple Quad on March 5 in Philadelphia, followed by the Maryland Quad at home on March 7 and additional quad meets at Towson (March 13) and Washington, D.C. (March 15).
- Maryland closes the regular season at the Big Ten Championships on March 20 before advancing to NCAA Regionals on April 1.
Senior Maddie Komoroski was named a 2026 Big Ten Gymnast to Watch.
the newcomers Impact
- The Terps have welcomed five transfers this past offseason, bringing a new level of experience and talent to College Park.
- Megan Bingham is a Second-Team All-Conference All-Around gymnast who achieved a career-high score of 9.950 on beam. She joins the Terps from Bowling Green State University and is now a senior, recording her highest score on beam this season in the lead-off spot, 9.800.
- Aine Reade earned First-Team All-Conference honors and was an eight-time Conference Rookie of the Week. She recorded a career-high 9.900 on floor and comes to Maryland from the University of New Hampshire as a sophomore. Reade marked a new career-high 9.975 on floor against Penn State this season.
- Chelsey Dennis is a First-Team All-Conference gymnast and two-time Conference Rookie Specialist of the Week. She posted a career-high 9.900 on balance beam while competing at Towson University and is now a junior. Dennis most recently posted a 9.825 season-high on bars against Penn State.
- Katrina Mendez-Abolnik achieved a career-high score of 9.900 on vault, appeared in 10 of 12 meets in 2025 all on vault, and joins the Terps from Bowling Green State University as a graduate student. Mendez-Abolnik has been a force on vault in the anchor spot, posting a season-high of 9.850.
- Alexis Czarrunchick transferred from the University of Georgia and is now a sophomore. She was the state all-around runner-up in 2023 and previously trained at MG Elite.
Don't Miss the Fun In XFINITY!
Post-Meet Autographs available after every meet! except Senior Night (March 7).
Feb. 7 – 6:00 PM | vs. Rutgers | Baby Race (HOME MEET)
Watch the fastest crawlers compete during the meet—adorable chaos guaranteed!
Feb. 20 – 7:30 PM | vs. Nebraska | My Meet, My Cause
Cheer for community and causes close to our gymnasts' hearts. Grab cause-colored ribbons, fill out "I Compete For" signs, support Greek Life philanthropies, and see Testudo make an appearance.
Players Mentioned
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