Image courtesy of Grayson Belanger/Maryland Athletics.
Senior Aine Reade led Maryland gymnastics on floor with a standout 9.900 routine, keeping the Terps within scoring distance despite a slow start at the Big Ten Championships.
No. 27 Maryland gymnastics (19-6, 3-6 B1G) traveled to Champaign, Illinois, competing Saturday afternoon in the event’s second session. The Terps took on No. 17 Penn State (7-7, 5-5 B1G), No. 21 Iowa (14-6, 4-2 B1G) and No. 18 Ohio State (10-6, 4-5 B1G), helping determine the final Big Ten regular season standings.
Maryland was unable to match the intensity that its opponents brought. The Hawkeyes finished the meet with a 196.700, followed by the Buckeyes with a 196.250. The Nittany Lions took third with 196.00, while the Terps finished fourth with 195.300.
Senior Sarah Saville began for Maryland with a 9.750, aided by her double layout dismount. The Terps struggled on their first rotation, unable to score above Saville’s mark. With an unsteady dismount, senior Maddie Komoroski posted an uncharacteristic 9.525, marking a rare error in her otherwise excellent season.
Ohio State began on floor, while Penn State started on vault. Iowa gained early momentum on beam, with 9.900s from sophomores Sydney Turner and Aurelie Tran.
The Buckeyes finished the opening rotation in first behind sophomore JJ Coleman’s 9.950 floor routine.
Ohio State opened with a rotation score of 49.400, closely followed by the Hawkeyes at 49.275. The Nittany Lions trailed the Buckeyes by 0.450, while Maryland held fourth with a 48.550.
Komoroski’s roundoff one-and-a-half twist dismount stood out as a highlight in the Terps’ second rotation, earning a team-high of 9.800. While ranked No. 28 nationally on beam, Maryland struggled to find zero-deduction landings – even small hops on the dismount can lead to deductions of two-tenths of a point. Despite two clean back handspring layout series on the event from both Chelsey Dennis and Bingham, their scores remained under 9.800.
Ranked No. 16 nationally on vault, Ohio State found success in the second rotation, with an average score of 9.791. Penn State took the bars, an event it ranks eleventh nationally in, getting two 9.875s from Elizabeth Leary and Dani Latronica.
Iowa took the floor, where freshman Stella DePoala scored a career-high of 9.900. Her routine allowed Iowa to assume first place – with a score of 98.600 at the conclusion of the second rotation.
The Buckeyes moved into second with 98.425, followed by the Nittany Lions at 98.050 and the Terps at 97.250.
Maryland performed on the floor for the third rotation. The Terps recorded a program high in their previous matchup against Penn State, earning a 49.575. Aine Reade anchored the rotation and kept the momentum, scoring a 9.900 behind strong, detailed passes. Komoroski, a 2026 AAI Award Nominee, earned a 9.875.
With Ohio State on bars, The Nittany Lions on beam, and the Hawkeyes on vault, scores stayed close throughout the rotation. Tory Vetter served as a strong contributor for the Buckeyes, garnering a 9.825 in her event.
Iowa’s Sophie Schriever moved into first place on vault after achieving a 9.850 – the Hawkeyes held their lead of 147.475 heading into the final rotation. The Buckeyes followed with a 147.350, Penn State trailed with 146.875 and Maryland again finished in four with a 146.475 – a full point behind the leading Hawkeyes.
The Terps’ final rotation on vault began with a full-twist Yurchenko and stuck landing and from Josephine Kogler. Katrina Mendez-Abolnik and Taylor Rech scored 9.800s – the highest event score for Maryland.
Ohio State’s final rotation on the balance beam demonstrated pure consistency, with three stuck dismounts back to back. Natalie Martin, a former Terp, contributed a 9.825 to the Buckeyes.
Penn State finished with a 9.820 average on floor.
For the Hawkeyes, Tran continued to display impressive precision, earning a 9.950 on the uneven bars. Her score on the event followed her 9.900 on the floor – positioning her to finish in first place in the all-around.
Maryland demonstrated resilience following uncharacteristic errors and low scores in early rotations. Despite these challenges, strong performances from Reade and Komoroski kept the team spirited and in close proximity throughout the meet.
Maryland gymnastics will compete next in the NCAA Regionals, currently scheduled for April 1-5.
