Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

After the Terrapin gymnastics team's quad-meet last week at Penn State - a disappointing performance that all but ensured the team will miss out on regionals - Nebraska's coach approached Terp coach Bob Nelligan to wish him good luck in the postseason.

"I looked at him and I said, 'Y'know, our regionals don't look particularly good at this point,' and he goes, 'You're way too good of a team to be sitting at home,'" Nelligan recalled. "We had our opportunities - we were just inconsistent. That's the bottom line."

Plagued by inconsistency throughout the season, the Terps enter the conference tournament eager to prove what kind of team they are capable of being.

Their season may have been shortened, but the Terps' resilience and determination are as strong as ever.

"We still have a job to do at EAGLs," sophomore Brandi George said. "We have a lot to prove, and we're all ready to [prove it]. We're still motivated and upbeat."

It seemed like every time the team took a step forward this season, it took two steps back in the following meet. The Terps struggled to put together complete performances, often rising to the occasion in one event only to stumble in another.

Nelligan said he wants to see his team put together its best scores in all four events at one single meet. If the Terps can do that, they will have a good chance to win the meet, a feat that would put a positive spin on the end of a frustrating season.

"We have some kids that are pretty good. We have some pretty exciting things [in our routines]," senior Lindsey Bonomo said. "We're still in it to win [the] conference. It would put a big exclamation point at the end of the season."

As an inexperienced team - The Terps only have three upperclassmen - EAGLs will provide an opportunity for some of the youngsters to get familiar with the competitiveness of conference tournaments and build confidence for next season.

It's a building process that will benefit the team in the future.

"We got our momentum rolling in the middle of the season this year," sophomore Allison Dama said. "Hopefully, if we can end on a high note, we can just pick up that momentum where we left off this year."

Somewhat lost in the team's disappointment is the fact that three Terrapin gymnasts have an excellent shot at heading to regionals as individuals: George in the all-around and Dama and sophomore Talia Tossone on the balance beam.

With a strong performance at EAGLs, freshman Abigail Adams could also add her name to that list.

These gymnasts will be using their last meet to cement their status in regionals and tune up for the competition. Even so, George placed the importance of Saturday's meet on proving themselves, as a team, to the rest of the conference.

"There's a little different attitude toward the end of the season; now you're focusing on the little things because you did all the hard work," George said. "[As a team] this is a point where we can show what Maryland gymnastics can do. It's a good place for us to shine."

For his part, Nelligan knows that next year consistency will be paramount if the Terps hope to translate their youthful promise into a competitive season.

Right now he knows that EAGLs is the perfect place to set the tone for next season.

"Right now I'm telling the team, 'Let's go out with a bang. Let's go out saying to everybody that we are a tough team and you better come with your A-game next year because we're that good,'" Nelligan said. "There are a lot of people right now that think we are a very strong team and how we respond to that will determine what kind of season we have next year."

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