Maryland gymnastics closed Big Ten play by posting its best meet score of the season last weekend. The Terps topped that performance four days later.
Maryland defeated Temple, 196.325 – 194.950, in Philadelphia on Wednesday. For the second straight meet, the Terps recorded a season-high total score.
The Terps started slow, as they struggled on the vault and bars. They rebounded with a season-high floor score and their second-best beam score of the season.
“We kind of talked before the second half of the meet and just said we really gotta turn up the energy, come out explosive, have fun on floor,” coach Brett Nelligan said. “And I think that’s what really turned the meet around for us.
It was a dominant effort in both the floor and beam. Maryland defeated Temple in three of four competitions and had multiple breakout performances.
Only three Terps posted scores of 9.900 or higher on Wednesday at McGonigle Hall. Maryland junior Madeline Komoroski accounted for two of them. She helped seal the Terps’ victory by recording a 9.900 on beam and floor.
“When she’s on, she’s just a joy for the judges,” Nelligan said. “When she is really locked in, focused, you know her score’s gonna be great because she just has that it factor that judges love.”
[Tasha Brozowski shined in Maryland gymnastics’ Big Four Meet after losing months to injury]
The junior led Maryland to a season-high 49.350 team score on the floor event. Graduate student Alexa Rothenbuescher posted a season-high 9.900 as well, while all six gymnasts scored a 9.800 or higher.
The Terps also excelled on beam, which has been their weakest event this season. Maryland recorded a 49.175 total score, only their fifth beam score over 49 and the first since late January.
“We knew in the beginning of the year, we hit a good beam rotation against, I think it was in Nebraska,” Rothenbuescher said. “So we’ve been really pushing just to get back that score and today it showed that we are capable of that score and even more.”
Komoroski matched her season-high floor score with a 9.900 on beam in the anchor spot.
Competing in her home state of Pennsylvania, Komoroski continued her strong campaign. The junior led Maryland in the floor and beam in its previous meet and has emerged as one of the program’s top gymnasts after being named to the All-Big Ten Second Team last season.
Maryland started slow on bars against Temple, failing to match its season-high from the Big Four Meet last week. Tasha Brozowski, recently returning from injury, filled in for Sierra Kondo in the third spot. A fall during Brozowski’s routine caused her to post a 9.100 score.
[Maryland gymnastics ends conference slate with third-place finish at the Big Four Meet]
None of the Terps matched or bettered their score on the bars from last week.
The vault was a similar disappointment. Maryland’s vault lineup entered on a hot streak, posting scores over 49 in their last three meets. But the Terps suffered a slight drop off against Temple, totalling a score of 48.825.
Maryland entered the meet ranked No. 33 in the Road to Nationals rankings after a third place finish at the Big Four Meet. The Terps hope this performance will help spur momentum with postseason play looming.
