Gymnastics finishes third in Mich. quad meet

Heading into the final rotation of its quad meet at Michigan's historic Crisler Arena on Saturday, the Terrapin gymnastics team appeared poised for revenge.

The Terps approached the vault holding a 145.500-145.400 lead over Kent State. A familiar foe, the Golden Flashes had handed the team its first loss Jan. 9 when they bested the Terps' highest season-opening score since 2000.

But even freshman Katy Dodds' 9.750 score on vault couldn't keep Kent State at bay, however. The Golden Flashes posted a meet-high 49.275 score on bars to secure their second victory over the Terps in less than three weeks.

"It was definitely a pressure-packed atmosphere, and I was proud that our girls were able to stay calm," coach Brett Nelligan said. "But you can't help but think we could've placed higher had Kent State not been near perfect on bars."

The No. 33 Terps (5-3, 1-0 East Atlantic Gymnastics League) finished third with an overall score of 193.800, narrowly missing the upset over two top-15 squads in No. 8 Michigan and No. 11 Kent State.

Michigan captured the meet sweep with a season-high score of 195.875, while Kent State's late surge secured second place with an overall score of 194.675. Illinois-Chicago finished fourth with a score of 189.875.

Despite a strong team effort that culminated in hitting a season-high 23 of 24 routines — 20 overall are counted in scoring meets — the Terps continued to be plagued by injuries. Sophomore all-arounder Ally Krikorian, who missed a Jan. 21 home meet after suffering a foot injury during warm-ups, was not at full strength and focused only on bars.

"There's always more pressure to perform when you don't have a full lineup," sophomore Kesley Cofsky said. "But we were able to stay focused and get things done."

Cofsky and fellow all-arounder Abigail Adams managed to carry much of the load left by Krikorian. Cofsky led the Terps on bars with a score of 9.800, while Adams posted a 9.800 on beam and a 9.825 on floor.

Adams finished second in all-around behind Michigan senior Kylee Botterman, a five-time All-American.

"[Adams'] performance just proves that she's as good as anyone in the country," Nelligan said. "If it wasn't for taking a couple steps during bars, she could've had that all-around title."

If Adams and the rest of the Terps hope to steal a win on the road Saturday at North Carolina, they may need to remember their trip to Ann Arbor — even if it means reliving a second loss to the Golden Flashes.

"Even though it's disappointing that we lost to Kent State and Michigan, it was good because it gave us confidence," Dodds said. "Now we know we can compete with anyone."

letourneau@umdbk.com