Dec. 4, 2008
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team has signed two student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, Nittany Lion head coach Steve Shephard announced. Madison Merriam and Sharaya Musser will be eligible to compete for the Nittany Lions next season.
"We are very pleased to announce the signings of Maddie and Sharaya," said Shephard. "These two athletes are going to make a huge impact on our team. Both of these athletes bring a very high skill level to our team. They both have competed on the national stage and both of them will help elevate our program to the next level. With the addition of these two athletes, and the fact that everyone currently on the team returns next year, our team is poised to take our program up to the next level."
Merriam hails from Gaithersburg, Md., competing for Kelli Hill of Hills Gymnastics. She is a four-time Junior Olympic National qualifier who is entering her fifth year competing at Level 10. At the 2008 Junior Olympic Nationals, Merriam finished seventh in the all-around with a score of 37.775, tying for ninth on vault and sixth on floor. She was a member of the Region 7 JO National Champion Senior Team. Also during the 2008 season, she captured the all-around, vault and bars titles at the Maryland Classic, and at the Parkettes Invitational, in the Showcase/Team Division, she claimed first on vault, second on bars and third on floor while helping her team place first. At the Maryland State Championships, Merriam placed second in the all-around and also took home the title on vault, bars and floor, and at Regionals, she claimed second on bars, fourth on beam and sixth on vault and in the all-around. She is the daughter of Jim and Cindy Merriam and attends Magruder High School, where she is a four-year honor roll student.
Musser, from Colorado Springs, Colo., was the 2008 Junior Olympic National Champion on vault and beam while placing second in the all-around. She captured all four event titles en route to claiming the 2008 Region 3 all-around title and is a five-time Colorado state champion. At the 2007 Junior Olympic Nationals, Musser placed first on beam and second place on bars.
The 2009 Penn State women's gymnastics team opens up its season on Saturday, Jan. 10 when it welcomes Pittsburgh to Rec Hall for a 7:00 p.m. meet.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.