April 12, 2008
Complete Results
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team fell just shy of advancing to the NCAA Championships Saturday night at Rec Hall, as Denver outscored the Nittany Lions by .075 to capture second place and a berth in the championships. Penn State earned a team score of 195.700 for third place while No. 1 Georgia scored a 197.775 to place first and Denver scored a 195.775 for second. Auburn finished fourth in the team competition with a 195.150, Brigham Young placed fifth with a 194.325 and Iowa State claimed sixth with a 194.200.
Nittany Lion sophomore Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) finished third in the all-around and advances to the NCAA National Championships as an individual competitor. Personett scored a 39.400 in the all-around as Georgia's Tiffany Tolnay captured first with a 39.675 and Auburn's Julie Dwyer recorded a 39.450 for second place.
As a team, Penn State recorded scores of 48.825 on vault, a season-best 49.150 on bars, a 48.800 on beam and 48.925 on floor for a 195.700, its second-highest score of the season.
The Nittany Lions went into the sixth and final rotation on bars trailing Denver, who was competing on floor, by just .175. Freshman Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) hit a 9.750 as the first competitor and freshman Kristina Beck (Jacksonville, Fla.) followed up with a career-high-tying 9.800. Sophomore Lindsey Montross (Roseville, Calif.) also tied her career-best with a 9.825 as the electricity filled Rec Hall. Sophomore Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) competed fourth and scored a career-high-tying 9.825 while Personett posted another solid score of 9.850 in the fifth slot. Sophomore Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) closed out the rotation with a 9.850 and the Nittany Lions could only wait as the Pioneers finished up their routines on floor. Heading into the last Denver gymnast, Penn State led by .225 and the Pioneers' Jessica Lopez needed to score higher than a 9.825 to give her squad second place. With all eyes on the floor mat, Lopez produced a 9.900 to aid her team to nationals. Overall, Georgia claimed the top four spots on bars, with Katie Heenan taking first with a 9.950.
Penn State opened up the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on beam, as sophomore Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) recorded a 9.775 as the first gymnast and Personett tallied a 9.825 to tie for 10th. Hover and senior Lindsay Borkan (Long Grove, Ill.) each notched a 9.725 in the middle of the rotation and freshman Melissa Klein (Oceanside, N.Y.) recorded a 9.400 before Brockway closed out the lineup with a 9.750. Georgia's Grace Taylor, Courtney McCool and Katie Heenan all tied for first with a 9.950.
Following a bye, the Nittany Lions moved to floor as Smith put up a 9.625 and Rohrbaugh recorded a 9.800. Klein and Brockway tallied scores of 9.775 and 8.400, respectively, as senior Aslynn Satterfield (Boalsburg, Pa.) notched a 9.850 while Personett finished out the rotation with a 9.875, good for fourth in the event. Georgia's Tolnay and McCool both scored a 9.925 for first.
Penn State competed vault in the fourth rotation, with Beck leading off and producing a 9.700. Rohrbaugh and Satterfield both recorded a 9.750 and Smith put up at 9.775. Brockway tallied a 9.700 and Personett was again Penn State's highest scorer as she posted a 9.850 in the final slot to tie for fifth. The Gymdogs' Tolnay posted a 9.950 to claim the individual vault title.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.