1997 Terrapins: From L to R on the "M": Stacy Breidenbach (Jr.), Kelley Callaway (Jr.), Kelly Conger (Fr.), Lauren Urbaniak (Jr.), Jade Rosser (So.), Alexis Moran (Jr.), Denise Driscoll (Jr.), Pam Bradley (Fr.), Christine Holcombe (So.), Beth Walls (So.), Megyn Byrnes (Jr. Captain), Jenny Wright (Sr. Captain), Ashly Albert (Fr.), Rachel Dolbin (Fr.), Anne Coffey (So.), Sarah Gingrich (Fr.), Shelly Hernandez (Fr.), Joy Dawson (Fr.), Elize Burke (Fr.), Jenny Engel (So.), Shannon Buckley (Fr.).
1997 Maryland Gymnastics Review
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - After amassing 25 wins and reaching its goal of
participating in the Southeast Regionals
last year, the Maryland Terrapin Gymnastics Team looked to 1997 with a
great deal of excitement and anticipation.
Despite the Terps' most challenging schedule ever and the grind of taking
on teams with more scholarships and
funding, the Terrapins (11-18) narrowly missed qualifying for the
Southeast Regionals for the second consecutive
year. However, the Terps will be well-represented at the Regionals as four
gymnasts-- freshman Rachel Dolbin,
sophomore Jenny Engel, and juniors Megyn Byrnes and Stacy Breidenbach
qualified individually.
During the long season, there were some tough losses, some terrific wins,
and FIVE individual and team records
broken.
In its first meet of the season, Maryland got off on the right foot as
they broke 190 against previously undefeated
Rhode Island. The 190.775 effort was aided by Dolbin who, in her first
college meet, tied the Terrapin individual
record with a 9.85 on the beam. Byrnes also shined as she won the
all-around with a 38.075.
In the Terps' third meet of the young season, they battled then
21st-ranked Towson State before falling,189.050-188.675. Despite the loss,
Terrapin gymnasts won three of the four individual events, including
Byrnes' 9.8
on the bars.
The records kept falling the next week at the Governors' Cup. Usually
heated rivals, the Terps and Towson State
worked together to give the state of Maryland the victory over the state
of North Carolina (North Carolina and North
Carolina State). Byrnes' Terrapin individual record of 9.775 on the vault
helped the Terps score a team-record
48.175 in that event. Later in the meet, Byrnes outdid herself by breaking
the Terrapin all-around individual record
with a 38.950, placing her second behind Towson State All-America
candidate Erin Shanley.
The Terps stayed on the road the following week as they traveled to the
Spartan Invitational at Michigan State. And,
despite posting their top score of the season to date (191.175) and the
fourth-highest team score in the program's
history, the Terps placed fourth out of four teams. For the second
straight week, outstanding individual efforts
translated into a great team performance. Junior Stacy Breidenbach's 9.775
tied Byrnes' one-week old record on the
vault, and combined with two 9.7s, a 9.65, a 9.6 and a 9.35, the Terps
broke their one-week old vault record with a
48.425.
At the Bubble Invitational, the Terps once again broke 190, but the day
belonged to N.C. State. N.C. State broke a
team record with a 195.475, while Maryland hit its season average of
190.350. Byrnes once again had a
record-setting day, as she tied the Terrapin individual record with a
9.775 on the vault. Breidenbach and Dolbin each
posted strong all-around scores, as they posted 38.300 and 38.250,
respectively.
The following week was an eventful one for the Terrapins. Due to a
scheduling conflict, the Terps were forced out of
the friendly confines of Cole Field House and found themselves competing
in the "close quarters" of North Gym. The
Terps showed their resiliency by using the venue change as motivation as
they swept duel meets against Northern
Illinois and Radford.
The Terps responded in their new home with the second-highest score in
team history, a 192.775, and they needed
every ounce of that score as NIU posted a solid 192.150. Byrnes, who held
the all-time all-around record at the
beginning of the season with a 38.925, broke her own record for the second
time in the season with a 38.975. Two
other records were broken as freshman Shelly Hernandez broke the Terrapin
individual vault record with a 9.800,
which helped the team break its vault record by way of a 48.650.
Later in the week, Maryland remained on a roll as they broke four more
team records en route to a decisive
193.800-187.050 victory over Radford. The team all-around record was
eclipsed by .5 points one year to the day it
was broken last year. Hernandez and the Terps remained hot on the vault as
Hernandez broke her one-week old
vault record with a 9.850 and the team broke its vault record with a
48.750. Dolbin became the first Terrapin to
shatter the sacred 39 mark in the all-around with a stellar 39.250 effort.
The Terps concluded their season with a seventh place finish at the EAGL
Championships at N.C. State. Their score
of 191.775 was aided by Byrnes' 38.800, sixth place finish in the
all-around and Dolbin's 9.850, sixth place finish on
the bars.
Several gymnasts received individual EAGL honors at the end of the season,
including three of the four individual
regional qualifiers. Byrnes received second-team All-EAGL in both the bars
and all-around events and Breidenbach
earned first-team All-EAGL honors on the beam to go along with EAGL
All-Academic honors. Dolbin earned the
coveted EAGL Outstanding Rookie Gymnast honor and joined Byrnes on the
second team in the bars and all-around
events.
While the Terps didn't qualify for the regionals as a team, four
gymnasts--Dolbin, Byrnes, Breidenbach and
Engel--represented the Terps at the Southeast Regionals in Lexington,
Kentucky. Breidenbach led the Terps in the
individual competition with a 10th-place all-around score of 38.450,
followed by Byrnes' 37.775 and Engel's 35.925.
Dolbin participated in the uneven bars event and was the Terps' high
scorer with a 14th-place 9.725.
Strong competition has brought out the best in Maryland, and with every
gymnast returning from this year's squad,
there's every reason to believe that trend will continue in Maryland's
resurgent, up-and-coming program.
(Copied from Official
Athletic Site, Terrapin Women's Gymnastics,
last updated April 21, 1997)