On Sunday afternoon, as Reese McClure found the opening pose for her anchoring floor routine at her senior meet, the rest of the Maryland Terrapins revealed a surprise they’d been planning for her. They donned round, wire-rimmed glasses with tinted lenses and brought out a miniature disco ball to match the ’70s theme of her routine. Moments later, as the Terrapins laughed and celebrated while removing their glasses, a season high score of 196.950 appeared on the JumboTron and a floor rotation score of 49.525 entered the record books as the team’s best since 2004.
What fellow senior Emma Silberman describes as “the combination of focus and fun” is key to Maryland’s process this year, and it’s working: After several seasons where flashes of brilliance were balanced by depth challenges and inconsistency, the team has found a new level of resilience. The Terrapins are currently ranked No. 21 in the country, and if that ranking holds, it’ll be their best finish since 2001. What’s working so well? It’s a process that starts in the gym at the beginning of each week, according to head coach Brett Nelligan.
“I’ve always told this team that their superpower is the way they train in the gym,” Nelligan said. “After a meet where we’re not happy with…
