Last season, coach Brett Nelligan said the Terrapins gymnastics team’s meet with Iowa was a turning point for the season. The Terps lost that meet, but they began to find stability in their lineups.
Those strides became even more evident when they saw the Hawkeyes at the Big Ten meet and the NCAA Regionals. The Terps scored just behind Iowa at the Big Ten meet but finished above them at regionals.
“The last two meets with them were some of the best meets we had last season,” Nelligan said. “We like seeing Iowa.”
And after their home meet against Penn State scheduled for Jan. 23 was postponed due to inclement weather, the Terps will see Iowa once again in their first dual at Xfinity Center this season.
“We’re over-the-top excited,” Nelligan said. “I thought they were excited for the Penn State meet last week, and since that didn’t happen, it’s just like all the excitement is doubled over onto this meet.”
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Winter Storm Jonas gave the Terps (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) an extra week off between meets, and while unexpected time off can lead to losing a competitive edge, they don’t anticipate that happening against the Hawkeyes (3-3, 2-0). The team held mock competitions throughout the week to combat any complacency, fully taking advantage of what the team called “the gift of time” before players don their pink leotards for the annual Pink Meet.
“We’re used to having to go on the road and compete weekend after weekend,” junior Sarah Faller said. “It was really nice to be able to relax and take care of our bodies a little so we can start fresh.”
With the extended period of rest, a pair of injured Terps could make their season debuts Sunday.
Freshman Shynelle Agaran and sophomore Dominiquea Trotter, both expected to compete for the Terps on balance beam, suffered concussions before the season-opening meet. They were cleared to practice this week but are still playing some catch-up to make up for the time missed in training.
“Concussions aren’t like an ankle injury, where you can still work out the rest of your body,” Nelligan said. “So Agaran and Trotter are rusty. They’ll be a meet-day decision.”
If they do return, they’ll have the support of the Xfinity Center crowd on the main floor, something the Terps haven’t enjoyed yet this season. Thanks to the storm, the Terps’ home opener will happen with the spring semester in session and students back on the campus.
“We’ve never really had that before,” Faller said. “It’s really nice. We love having as many people support us as possible.”
It has been an up-and-down start to the season for the Terps, who placed second out of four teams at the Pittsburgh Quad Meet to open the season before suffering a close loss to Minnesota in their Big Ten opener. Their confidence is high entering Sunday, though, as the Terps have faced off with Hawkeyes previously and experienced success.
“They had an advantage on us last year because we were at their home meet,” Tang said of last year’s early season matchup. “But now we know we can beat them.”
