As sophomore Audrey Barber dismounted from the uneven bars, her Maryland gymnastics teammates rushed toward her. Her performance elicited a 9.875, a new season-best in the event, which prompted her teammates’ excitement.
Having posted a disappointing 9.225 on bars in the Terps’ first meet of the season on Jan. 13, Barber has returned to form as a staple for Maryland in the event, with three straight scores of 9.8 or higher.
It was her strong all-around performance, though, that fueled the Terps on Saturday. She earned 9.8s on the bars, vault and floor to help propel Maryland to a new season-high team score in its 195.275-194.600 win over Rutgers.
After posting a season-low team score in last weekend’s meet against No. 10 Michigan, the Terps entered Saturday’s meet with something to prove, looking to reach a 195 score for the first time this season.
“We were definitely more pumped up for this meet,” said junior Alecia Farina. “We knew that we needed to get a good score on the road.”
Maryland started the meet with a solid showing on bars, as Barber and Farina posted a 9.875 and a 9.825, respectively. The Terps put up a 48.925 team score on bars, pushing them to a .275 point lead after the first rotation.
The Terps then moved on to the vault, where Farina (9.850) and Barber (9.825) led the way. Sophomore Collea Burgess also impressed, posting a 9.800 — a new season-high. Maryland scored a 48.925 on the vault, the team’s highest score on vault this season.
Barber and Farina, members of last year’s All-Big Ten First and Second teams, respectively, have been crucial for the Terps as this season has progressed. Unsurprisingly, the two were at the heart of Maryland’s victory on Saturday.
“I was really pleased with them,” coach Brett Nelligan said. “The bigger the moment, the bigger their gymnastics.”
Against Michigan, the Terps were uninspiring on the floor, taking multiple falls as they slipped to a season-worst 48.100 score. On Saturday, though, Maryland bounced back with a new season-high score of 48.925. The Terps were led by Barber, who earned a 9.825, tied for her season-high this season. Meanwhile, senior Alex Robinson scored a 9.800 in her first competitive appearance since her freshman year.
The Terps used five scores of 9.7 to end the meet with a 48.500 team score on the beam. While it was Maryland’s weakest event of the afternoon, it eclipsed their beam score against Michigan by .350 points.
With matchups against No. 15 Ohio State and No. 21 Minnesota looming, Maryland needed a solid display on Saturday, especially after its regression against Michigan. And with their strong showing this week, the Terps hope the performance brings similar results to last season, when they topped a 195 score in their third meet and didn’t drop below the mark the rest of the way.
“All we can do now is build off of today’s performance,” Barber said, “and continue to keep pushing and bringing the energy to the competition floor.”
