At the end of last season, Terrapin gymnastics coach Bob Nelligan exuded confidence in his team’s future. After a fifth-place finish in the EAGL, Nelligan realized all the tools were ready to compete with the best.
“Everything is in place,” Nelligan said after NCAA Regionals last year. “Looking at some of the teams that finished ahead of us, we’ve got to help ourselves by being more consistent. We know how to produce. It’s just a matter of getting in the gym and saying, ‘Anything less than consistency doesn’t count.'”
Terrapin gymnastics has risen out of the cellar this season, bringing their season average score from 192.608 to 193.371. The Terps now rank No. 25 nationally.
“They’ve really grown up, their confidence level is better and they’re just more consistent as a result of the whole thing,” Nelligan said.
The top-25 ranking is not the only difference between this year’s team and last year’s. The Terps have also raised their team high score from 194.250 to 194.650. The improved scores have led to an overall record of 9-5 and a 6-2 conference record.
Last season, the Terps finished behind North Carolina, New Hampshire, N.C. State and West Virginia in conference. This season, the Terps have beaten all of these teams except for North Carolina. Many of the players are attributing the wins to confidence as well.
“[Last season] we lacked belief in ourselves; we were still a pretty young team,” junior Margaux Meeks said. “We had six sophomores, five freshmen and only a few upperclassmen. So we really didn’t have much experience. From doing more routines in competition and experiencing the atmosphere, it’s easier to believe in yourself and to have confidence, which leads to consistency.”
The Terps have also instilled a sense of team unity this season, which has led to the vast improvement.
“I feel like we’ve built a lot of confidence in ourselves and in our teammates,” Meeks added. “If you don’t believe that a teammate can hit it, it’s kind of hard for them to go out there and do their routine without the whole team behind them.”
Overall, the Terps have seen a vast improvement from last season, and much of their recent success can be attributed to their drive to prove they are a top-25 program.
“We’re still the same team. Obviously [freshmen] Kyra [Phillips] and Becca [Pang] have helped us tremendously, but relatively speaking, you’re still dealing with the same central group of people,” Nelligan said. “And what I see different is, instead of becoming disheartened when scores are low or tight, this group is more likely to say, ‘I’m going to prove to you that I’m better than that.’ That’s really where the big change is.”
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