Jan. 10, 2009
Complete Results
University Park, Pa. - The 13th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team opened up the 2009 season with a win, defeating Pittsburgh, 194.800 to 191.675, Saturday night at Rec Hall. A Nittany Lion gymnast finished atop each of the individual events, led by junior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) in the all-around.
As a team, Penn State recorded a 49.000 on vault, a 48.925 on bars, a 48.825 on beam and a 48.050 on floor. Pittsburgh tallied a 48.250 on vault, a 47.375 on bars, a 48.325 on beam and a 47.725 on floor.
Personett captured her 12th career individual all-around title with a 39.350 and freshman Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.), competing in her first collegiate meet, finished second with a 39.125, while junior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) claimed third with a 37.550. After the contest, Bencsko was named the Ann Carr award winner as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet.
Penn State opened the meet on vault, as Personett captured the crown with a 9.850 and Rohrbaugh finished second with a 9.825, just shy of her career high mark. Bencsko claimed third with a 9.800 while junior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) notched a 9.775 to tie for fifth. Junior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) and sophomore Kristina Beck (Jacksonville, Fla.) rounded out the Nittany Lion competitors with scores of 9.750 and 9.675, respectively, to finish seventh and eighth.
On uneven bars, Brockway claimed the top spot with a 9.850 as Personett finished second with a 9.825 and Bencsko and Smith both recorded a 9.775 to tie for third. Freshman Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) tallied a 9.700 for sixth in her first collegiate competition while Rohrbaugh posted a 9.025 to finish 11th.
Brockway again claimed the title on the balance beam with a career-high 9.825 while both Rohrbaugh and Personett put up scores of 9.775 to tie for second. Bencsko notched a 9.750 to tie for fourth while sophomore Melissa Klein (Oceanside, N.Y.) tallied a 9.700 for sixth and junior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.), competing for the first time competitively since the 2007 season due to an injury last season, posted a career-high 9.675 for eighth.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor, with Personett taking home the title with a 9.900. Smith and Bencsko both posted a 9.800 to tie for third as Southard notched a seventh-place 9.575. Klein and Rohrbaugh closed out the Penn State gymnasts, recording a 8.975 and a 8.925, respectively.
Penn State travels to Big Ten foe Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m. CT before returning home to host Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. ET at Rec Hall in a meet that will also be a double-dual with the Nittany Lion men against Michigan.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.