Photo courtesy of Dylan Davies/Maryland Terrapins
The Terps earned three wins in the Rutgers quad meet with a final score of 194.625 on Sunday. Rutgers placed second with 194.475, Fisk University finished third with 191.375, and Utica University placed fourth with 186.250.
For the first rotation, Maryland had a slightly slow start on uneven bars, but senior Sierra Kondo helped build momentum with a score of 9.750. Senior Hailey Merchant followed with a 9.775, the team’s highest score of the event.
Maryland and Rutgers tied for first in the uneven bars event, each earning an overall score of 48.450.
For the Terps in the second rotation, the balance beam was their lowest-scoring event, with a total score of 47.975. Graduate student Alexa Rothenbuescher led the team with a 9.825. Sophomore Lauren Brendlinger and junior Madeline Komoroski both earned the second-highest score of the event with a 9.800. New to the beam lineup, freshman Nicollette Crochet received the third-highest score with a 9.750.
In the third rotation, the Terps were on fire during the floor event, placing first among all three other teams with their highest score of the season, 49.250. Senior Rhea LeBlanc kicked it off with the second-highest score of 9.850. Following shortly after, both Rothenbuescher and sophomore Natalie Martin earned a 9.875, the highest score of the event.
The Terps kept up the momentum in the final rotation, earning first place in vault with a total score of 48.950. LeBlanc recorded a career-high of 9.850, the team’s second-highest score in the event, while Natalie Martin secured the top score with 9.875.
This marks a crucial win for the Terps as they head into their next meet at home against Penn State on Feb. 7.
