The Maryland gymnastics team is in the Southeast Regional of the 2018 NCAA tournament, according to the bracket released Monday, marking the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance in three years.
The regional takes place April 7 and is hosted by North Carolina State. Joining the Terps and Wolfpack in Raleigh are No. 2 LSU, No. 11 Nebraska, No. 14 Oregon State and George Washington.
Maryland ranked No. 31 this season, earning it a spot in the 36-team tournament. The Terps have qualified for eight regionals under coach Brett Nelligan but had missed the postseason in each of the last two seasons.
The Terps rely heavily on underclassmen and have used only one senior this season, meaning this will be the first postseason experience for nearly the entire team. The team was led by All-Big Ten First-Team freshman Audrey Barber and All-Big Ten Second-Team sophomore Alecia Farina.
Qualifying for the NCAA tournament with such a young squad earned Nelligan Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.
The top-two teams from each of the six regionals advance to the national semifinals. Maryland has never advanced out of a regional, having finished in third place three times, most recently in its last appearance in 2015.
