The Maryland gymnastics team’s match with No. 7 Michigan at Xfinity Center on Sunday marked the program’s first home meet against top-10 foe since the Wolverines visited College Park in 2015. Coach Brett Nelligan viewed the event as an opportunity for the group to display its potential versus one of the Big Ten’s premier squads.
Nelligan challenged his team to surpass the 195-point threshold after almost reaching it against Penn State on Jan. 21, and the Terps responded Sunday with a 195.625-point performance. Still, the score wasn’t enough to defeat the Wolverines, who put up 196.475 at the first annual Purple Meet to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis.
Maryland has not defeated a ranked opponent at home since its 2015 victory over Minnesota.
Senior Sarah Faller, who was a sophomore on that team, remembered the Minnesota meet in detail and acknowledged the Terps were especially motivated for Sunday’s meet due to the conference’s competitiveness. She said the team is starting to find a rhythm and must stay upbeat to realize its potential.
During the event, Maryland honored 2014 alumna Jessie Black, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis in high school. The Terps started the meet strong, leading, 48.850-48.375, after the first rotation.
“I love the enthusiasm!” Faller yelled at her teammates as she jogged from the vault to the bars.
Faller anchored on the vault with a 9.825 and then followed that with another 9.825 on bars. In freshman Kirsten Petermann’s first time competing on bars, she tallied a 9.850 to lead Maryland.
Sunday was also Petermann’s first time competing in three events. The freshman said she felt prepared, having already competed during the exhibition portions of meets. After a team’s official lineup competes in an event, as many as two gymnasts may perform—without any influence on the team’s score—to hone their skills in a meet environment.
During Maryland’s bar routines, Nelligan paced about the Xfinity Center floor, pumping his fist emphatically before greeting the Terps with a hug at the conclusion of their routines.
“How can you not be excited?” Nelligan wondered aloud. “When everyone gets in that zone on bars, you feel like you’re in that zone with them. I just get caught up in that excitement, and that’s why I became a coach.”
Two early miscues for the Wolverines on bars — a 7.200 and an 8.950 — gave Maryland control for much of the meet. But after senior Talia Chiarelli scored a meet-high 9.975 on floor in the third rotation, the Wolverines surpassed the Terps. With the mark, Chiarelli tied a career high that she set in 2015.
Senior Nicole Artz competed in all four events for the Wolverines, garnering a total of 39.050.
On floor, Maryland senior Emily Brauckmuller netted a career-high 9.900. She was encouraged by the signs of improvement that the Terps showed, but admitted she desperately wanted to beat Michigan.
“We wanted to come out and dominate,” Brauckmuller said. “This week, we’re just going to act as if nothing ever happened and keep plugging along.”
Despite the losing effort, Nelligan was proud of his team.
“As a coach, there’s tough days,” Nelligan said. “The days in the gym are hard. Seeing kids go down with injuries is hard. But this is why you do it—for days like this.”
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Maryland honored Black before the meet. The team honored her during the meet. This story has been updated.
