With three new freshmen and a strong quintet of seniors, the University of Maryland gymnastics team is on track to make a trip to the 2002 National Championships for the first time ever.

"Given our success over the last three years, our whole focus is to be one of the top 12 at the end of this season," said Terps' Head Coach Bob Nelligan. "We've been right on the bubble for those three years, and I think this year we really have the opportunity to bring the dream to fruition."

Like the University of Minnesota's gymnastics team, Maryland just missed nationals by tenths of a point last season. Though it was disappointing, Nelligan said the experience brought the team a lot of publicity from the media. "People were saying to me, 'You scored a 195.85, and you're not going?' It was very exciting to be recognized, and even Florida gave us a lot of credit, telling us we gave them all they could handle."

What might push them through that bubble this year is the fact that the team is sporting more depth this year, Nelligan explained. Prior to 1999, Maryland used partial athletic scholarships to recruit gymnasts, which didn't allow Nelligan to bring in the athletes necessary for a top-12 spot. Now he has three fully-funded classes.

"We are going to be a solid team across the board," Nelligan said. "Our biggest improvement will be with vault, though."

Nelligan admitted vault has been the Terps' weakest event in the past. "When we were unable to use full scholarships, we brought in athletes that could do three events, and vault wasn't always one of them," he said. "Now we have gymnasts coming in who can do Yurchenkos [round-off entry vaults], and it's easy to teach them to add a full twist. It's easier to teach this than to teach those with a front-entry vault to twist."

Nelligan said his assistant coach, Wendy Marshall, is an excellent floor and beam coach, and the Terps will be solid on those two events. The squad will also be stronger on bars In general, he said, those who know the team well will see a definite increase in difficulty this year.

The seniors, made up of All-American Gillian Cote, Kit Johnson, Alyssa and Lisa Mealey and Christina Samwell, are the true team leaders this year, Nelligan said. He has also recruited three top freshmen, Leah Brill, Ashley Oberdorf and Mandy Pasqual. Though the team has lost All-American Jill Fisher to graduation, Nelligan is pleased his squad is prepared not to count on one gymnast to bring in the high scores. "This is a team event," he said. "We have some real game players this year. I will take five or six of them any day of the week over one superstar."

Nelligan said that even though his team has not competed in Tuscaloosa for a few years, he is looking forward to the "first-class" outing. "Alabama is one of those venues where absolutely everything is done right. The audience is well-briefed and knows the competition. Alabama is just one of the best places to compete. I feel really good about going down there."

And in the wake of the Pentagon and World Trade Center explosions, Nelligan has learned to appreciate each of his gymnasts at a whole new level. One of his former athletes works in the attacked government building, not far from the Maryland campus. Despite the fact she remained unscathed, Nelligan said it made him "much more appreciative of each individual. This is certainly a touching time for all of us." Fortunately, he explained, his group of seniors has helped get everyone back on track toward the national championships.