For just the second time in her career, Lindsay Bacheler reached for the high bar as she looked to help Maryland gymnastics’ worst scoring unit. Bacheler executed a straddle Jaeger and floated down to the low bar into a perfect handstand. She finished her routine in a double back layout dismount and stuck the landing.
Bacheler earned a 9.900, a career high.
“I’m just so proud of Lindsay,” coach Brett Nelligan said. “It has been such a long journey for her. She’s battled injuries since the day she’s gotten here…I’m just so happy that it all came together for her like this tonight.”
The Terps’ bars unit finished with a 49.300, far above its previous highest score this season, a 48.975. Rhea Leblanc also posted a career high 9.900 on bars after displaying tight lines and precise skill connections. Tasha Brozowski and Sierra Kondo added 9.825s, while Alexa Rothenbuescher earned a 9.775 and Victoria Gatznedorfer scored a 9.850.
On the other end, Nebraska’s Kinsey Davis perfectly stuck a double layout dismount after flawlessly keeping her legs together and toes pointed while floating between both bars. Davis scored a 9.975 en route to a unit total of 49.425.
Maryland’s uneven bars unit guided the Terps to their second Big Ten win of the season over No. 24 Nebraska, 196.675-196.125. Despite the Cornhuskers displaying strong efforts on the bars, minor falls on the vault and floor cost them in the tight contest.
“I think we really just focused on every single detail and getting one percent better every single day,” Leblanc said. “I think that having each other and knowing that we could go for everything without being afraid of falling, that really helped us.”
[Freshman Natalie Martin has displayed consistency, star power for Maryland gymnastics]
Taylor Rech opened a Terps (3-2, 2-2 Big Ten) vault rotation that earned a 49.100 in their last meet. Rech, who averaged 9.687 on the event prior to Saturday’s meet, powerfully pushed off the vault table into the air. She configured into a Yurchenko full and spotted the mat, hopping only inches forward.
Josephine Kogler raced down the runway to continue Maryland’s vault lineup. The junior twisted into the same skill as Rech, a Yurchenko full, while maintaining height. Kogler landed on the mat with only a slight step forward, enough to score a 9.825.
Alexa Rothenbuescher and Rhea Leblanc both recorded 7.775s, along with help from Natalie Martin’s 9.850, to close the Terps’ vault unit with a 49.000, their second-highest vault score of the season.
After the first rotations, Maryland led 98.300 to Nebraska’s 97.925.
[‘Floor is always a party’: Maryland gymnastics’ final unit shined against Ohio State]
Emma Silberman kicked off the Terps’ beam rotation. The graduate student fell off the beam in the team’s last meet in her leap series. But Saturday, she executed her sequence powerfully yet stable. She earned a 9.775.
Layla Hammer performed a unique front toss in her collegiate beam debut. The freshman was awarded a 9.825 after keeping a poised composure and solid focus.
“Layla Hammer, that’s another one,” Nelligan said. “She’s been coming along in practice and we were excited to see you in the lineup… she was really on point with her performance and I think we’ll be seeing a lot more.”
Maryland finished with the event with 49.050, slightly above its 48.986 average on the season, after Maddie Komoroski’s 9.825 and Martin’s 9.850.
Coach Brett Nelligan’s team continued its lead heading into the final rotation on floor.
Leblanc continued her success on the floor with a 9.825, matching her season average on the event. She finished her routine with a front handspring to one and a half, gluing her legs together to twist around fully. Leblanc displayed power throughout her routine, gaining height in her leap sequence.
“I’m just going for everything and I just had to trust my training and everything,” Leblanc said. “I put in the work this season and I knew I had my teammates’ support and then I could go for everything and hit it like I know how to.”
Rothenbuescher, who averaged a 9.913, started her routine with a whip to double back tuck. She transitioned into a leap series, hitting full splits in the air. The senior finished in a double back pike, sticking the landing. Rothenbuescher was awarded a 9.950, a career high.
Martin added a 9.900 and Komoroski a 9.850 to close out the unit with a 49.325 to tie its second highest floor score of the season.
