Preview: No. 24 Maryland gymnastics prepares for weekend duals against Southern Connecticut State and No. 17 Minnesota

After being on the road for the past two weeks, No. 24 Maryland gymnastics (4-2, 2-2 Big 10) returns home to host two meets in three days. On Friday evening, the Terps will face off against the Southern Connecticut State Owls (5-11), while on Sunday afternoon they’ll welcome a Big 10 foe, the No. 17 Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-3-1, 2-1-1 Big 10). 

The Terps are hoping to carry their current momentum into the homestand after they defeated Rutgers in Piscataway last weekend, 196.875-196.325. Their score of 196.875 was their season best, and last weekend marked the third consecutive match in which the squad set a new season record. Maryland will hope to continue that trend for a fourth and perhaps even a fifth consecutive time this weekend. 

Friday night’s match is this year’s Beauty and the Beast match, an annual event which displays Maryland gymnastics and Maryland wrestling competing side-by-side. The Terps will have their work cut out for them, but they’re continually trending upwards. In the latest rankings, the Terps were ranked No. 19 on vault, No. 20 on bars, No. 29 on beam and No. 33 on floor.

Southern Connecticut State enters the meet following a second place finish against Yale and the University of Bridgeport at the Tonry Invitational at Yale. The Owls’ score of 192.275 was their third-straight finish with 190+ points, and they also recorded a season-best 48.775 on the beam. This will be the 12th meeting between the Terps and the Owls, with the Terps leading the all-time series 11-0. The last time the two faced off was in College Park in March of 2015, which resulted in a 196.000-189.325 Maryland win. 

Minnesota is off to a great start to its season, but suffered a tough conference loss at the hands of the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines its last time out, 197.975-197.075. The Golden Gophers’ score of 197.075 was their season-high and the first time in which they have scored above 197. Junior Gianna Gerdes had a career showing in the meet, tying her career-high in bars (9.875), setting a new career-high on beam (9.900), and notching a new career-best in her all-around performance (39.500). Junior Mya Hooten had a near perfect meet, as she placed first in the meet in vault (9.950), bars (9.950) and floor (9.975). As a collective unit, they rank No. 9 on vault, No. 15 on bars, No. 39 on beam and No. 8 on floor.

The Terps come in with some of their own record-breaking performances as well. Last week, they recorded a season-best score of 49.375 on floor, their highest floor score since March 6, 2020. Three gymnasts set individual career-highs in the event as well. Junior Alexa Rothenbuescher notched a 9.925, sophomore Rhea Leblanc scored a 9.875 and freshman Taylor Rech recorded a 9.825. Senior Emma Silberman tied her career-best of a 9.900. On beam, sophomore Josephine Kogler set a new career-high with a 9.925 and freshman Maddie Komoroski recorded a 9.900, a high score in her young career. 

The Terps will have work cut out for themselves this weekend, but riding positive momentum and playing in front of a home crowd should be beneficial. 

Friday night’s match against Southern Connecticut State will start at 7 p.m. with free admission to the Xfinity Center but also availability on Big 10+. Sunday’s match against Minnesota will be at 1 p.m., also with free admission and streaming options on Big 10+.