Maryland gymnastics lost their second straight Big Ten meet on Sunday afternoon, but there was a silver lining. The Terrapins were very good, but the Hawkeyes were just a bit better.
Kathy Tang took second in the all-around competition, and three Terps posted personal bests on various disciplines.
Here are three things that we learned from the Iowa-Maryland meet:
1) Despite the loss, the Terps are ahead of schedule
Maryland posted a 195.500 on Sunday afternoon. Last year's squad didn't record a team score that high until March. There's a lot of talent on this team, and a score this high, this early in the season is indicative of that.
2) Maryland needs more consistency from Abbie Epperson
The talented sophomore was last in the vault and balance beam, but placed fourth on the parallel bars and set a personal best on floor, where she placed third. If she had finished even in the middle of the pack on the other two events, Maryland might have won the meet.
3) Kathy Tang will have to be solid every time out
With little margin for error, Tang will have to be the backbone and driving force of this Maryland team. There will be moments where the freshmen perform like, well, freshmen. If Tang is confident and consistent, it might have a trickle down effect to the rest of the team. If she struggles, it stands to reason that the team will struggle too. That's a lot of pressure to put on one player. She's a seasoned veteran, so we'll see how she handles the pressure not just of performing, but actively leading and motivating.