Jan. 15, 2009
University Park, Pa. -
The 11th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team travels to No. 19 Illinois on Saturday, Jan. 17 to open up its Big Ten season. Live scoring and video will be available via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Series: Penn State vs. Illinois
Penn State leads Illinois, 15-1, in a series that began in 1992. The last meeting was at last season's Big Ten Championships, where the Illini picked up a second-place finish with a 195.750 and the Nittany Lions claimed third with a 195.625. The last Penn State win was a 196.475-195.250 victory at the 2007 Big Ten Championships, as the Lions finished second and the Illini third. The last regular-season meeting was a 194.125-193.200 Penn State victory on Jan. 15, 2005 at Rec Hall.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions return home to host another Big Ten opponent as they welcome Michigan State on Saturday, Jan. 24 in a meet that will also be a double-dual with the Penn State men's gymnastics team competing against Michigan.
In The Rankings
Below is where Penn State sits in the respective GymInfo rankings for the week of Jan 11. (www.troester.com/gym)
Based on Total Season Average
National (PSU Rank, Leader)
Team: 194.800 (11th - Florida, 196.500)
Vault: 49.000 (7th - Utah, 49.425)
Bars: 48.925 (6th - Utah, 49.075)
Beam: 48.825 (9th - Florida, 49.250)
Floor: 48.050 (NR - Florida, 49.175)
Individually in the National Rankings:
Brandi Personett is second in the nation on floor exercise with a 9.900, is tied for 21st on bars with a 9.825, is tied for 18th on vault with a 9.850 and ranks fifth in the all-around with a 39.350. Whitney Bencsko is tied for 18th in the all-around with a 39.125 and Alexandra Brockway is tied for 24th on beam with a 9.825 and is 11th on bars with a 9.850 while Casey Rohrbaugh is tied for 25th on vault with a 9.825.
Personett Continues To Roll
Junior Brandi Personett picked up in 2009 where she finished in 2008, capturing the all-around title in the first meet of the season with Pittsburgh, scoring a 39.350. The individual all-around title is the 12th of Personett's career. Personett also captured the individual titles on the vault (9.850) and floor (9.900).
Bencsko Breaks Through
Freshman Whitney Bencsko made a splash in her first collegiate meet on Jan. 10 against Pittsburgh at Rec Hall. She finished second in the all-around with a 39.125 and was named the Ann Carr Award winner as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet. Bencsko captured a third-place 9.800 on vault, a third-place 9.775 on bars, a fourth-place 9.750 on beam and a third-place 9.800 on floor.
Southard Makes A Comeback
Junior co-captain Allie Southard competed against Pittsburgh on Jan. 10 at Rec Hall, putting up an eighth-place 9.675 on beam and a seventh-place 9.575 on floor. Those routines were the first competitive performances for Southard since the 2007 season as she suffered a broken back after peeling off bars during summer training in 2008. She did compete in exhibition once during the last meet of the 2008 campaign, posting a 9.675 on beam against Nebraska, Maryland and Rutgers on March 21, 2008 and earning the Ann Carr Award as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet for her efforts.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.