Senior Katy Dodds during her floor routine during the Red vs. Black gymnastics match at the Xfinisty Center Pavilion on Dec. 12, 2014.
The Terrapins gymnastics team traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday afternoon to get its first taste of the Big Ten on the road.
Though their focus was on consistency, the Terps lost to Penn State, 196.550-194.450, after multiple mistakes on the floor exercise and balance beam in the final half of the competition.
The Terps opened the competition on the uneven bars, which is customary for road dual meets. Despite a fall on her dismount from freshman Evelyn Nee, the Terps (1-3, 1-1 Big Ten) did not count a mistake in their first rotation.
On bars, Abbie Epperson kicked off what could be her most efficient day in a Terps leotard in her short career. The freshman started her competition with a 9.825, her season high, to lead the bars lineup against Penn State (4-1, 1-1).
She followed her bar routine with a 9.85 on vault in the second event to tie senior Katy Dodds for the top team score in the rotation.
It was the Terps’ best vault showing thus far, as they scored a 49.000 as a team. Aside from Epperson and Dodds’ performances, junior Kathy Tang scored a 9.825, and the Terps did not count a score lower than 9.725.
Though they rank 10th in the nation and third in the Big Ten on floor exercise, the Terps encountered some trouble on the event in the third rotation.
Freshman Dominiquea Trotter was up first but led off with an uncharacteristic fall and a low 9.125 score. While her mark was dropped from the team total, Trotter’s misstep foreshadowed the following five routines.
The remaining Terps struggled relative to their recent successes on the floor, as the team did not count a single score higher than the two 9.775s from seniors Shannon Skochko and Stephanie Giameo. The team had posted a 49.000 in their previous dual meet against Minnesota.
It did not get much better for the Terps in their final rotation – the balance beam – that had also been problematic for the squad in their first two competitions.
Sophomore Sarah Faller led off with a solid routine, grabbing a 9.725, but senior Dani Kram and sophomore Emily Brauckmuller both fell off on their flight series, forcing the Terps to count a fall in the final score.
Seniors Shannon Skochko (9.725) and Stephanie Giameo (9.85) capped off beam with solid routines, but it would not prove to be enough to top Penn State’s formidable floor lineup.
