Coach Brett Nelligan celebrates at a meet.
It’s called the Big Ten for a reason.
Compared to the Terrapins gymnastics team’s former EAGL Conference, the Big Ten features programs that tap into deeper and more expensive talent pools, travel farther distances and compete in the pressure-filled dual meet format.
Even so, in their inaugural season in the new conference, the Terps have increased their overall score in each meet, posting numbers that would be highly competitive in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League. Yet they currently sit in ninth place out of 10 teams in the Big Ten standings, and their schedule only gets tougher this weekend.
On Saturday night, the program will welcome Michigan, ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten and No. 5 in the nation, to Xfinity Center. But while the Wolverines’ season average score is more than 2.5 points higher than the Terps’, coach Brett Nelligan’s squad is motivated to make a lasting impression in its first clash with the conference’s premiere team.
“[Michigan’s] a great team, but they’ve got to come into our house and prove it,” Nelligan said. “We’re not afraid of anyone, and we don’t take anyone lightly, either. But we’re going to bring everything and throw 24 routines at them and see if they can handle it, so we’re just excited for the challenge.”
It’s an obstacle similar to the one the Terps overcame Jan. 15 against then-No. 11 Minnesota. They pulled off the upset with a dynamic performance on floor exercise in the final rotation to notch their first Big Ten victory, their only win of this year.
“Bringing in top-ranked opponents really lights the fire under our team because they just really excite us because — it’s like when Minnesota came — everyone wants a chance to knock off a higher-ranked opponent,” Nelligan said. “We’re going to train full-force in the gym with that single goal in mind.”
The Wolverines boast Nicole Artz, the country’s seventh-ranked all-around gymnast and this week’s Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, and Brianna Brown, the Big Ten Freshman of the Week, in several significant lineup spots.
Though the Terps haven’t featured any gymnasts on all four events since the first meet of the year, they do rely on several key members to bring in similar contributions.
Freshman Abbie Epperson was tabbed Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week for her showings on bars (9.90) and vault (9.85) against Iowa, and senior Stephanie Giameo ranks third in the Big Ten on beam, behind Michigan’s Artz and Talia Chiarelli.
“Coming out to this meet, we know that we can handle them,” Epperson said. “It’s our house. It’s our pride meet. We’re going to have all of our fans there, so I think we’re really ready. … They’re a really great team, but I don’t think we’re going to feel like we’re under too much pressure or anything.”
Last Friday’s team score at Iowa, 195.275, was a season high for the Terps and about a point higher than their 2015 average. That progress, however, still sits 2.025 points below Michigan’s best tally thus far.
“It’s definitely motivation,” senior Shannon Skochko said of facing Michigan’s lofty talent. “Every meet this year, we’ve improved, and I think now we finally have the ball rolling and we’re definitely going to put up a fight [Saturday].”
As his team prepares for Saturday’s dual meet, Nelligan believes his Terps will see the Wolverines as inspiration rather than intimidation.
But he is quick to note that though Michigan is the current standard for Big Ten gymnastics, his program is on its own path to competitiveness in its new conference.
“Michigan has done a phenomenal job,” Nelligan said. “But we want to be Maryland.”
