Jan. 22, 2009
University Park, Pa. -
The Penn State women's gymnastics team welcomes Big Ten opponent Michigan State to Rec Hall on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7:00 p.m. The meet will be a double-dual with the Penn State men's gymnastics team, who will be competing against Michigan. Live scoring will be available at www.GoPSUsports.com.
The Series: Penn State vs. Michigan State
Penn State leads Michigan State, 21-4, in a series that began in 1965. The last meeting was a 195.625 to 195.050 Nittany Lion victory at the Big Ten Championships on March 29, 2008. The last regular-season meeting was a 191.575 to 191.900 Michigan State win on Jan. 13, 1996, in East Lansing, Mich.
Next Up
The Nittany Lions head to the site of the 2009 NCAA Championships as they travel to Nebraska on Friday, Jan. 30 for a 7:00 p.m. CT showdown with the Huskers. Penn State then returns home to host a quad meet with Cornell, Penn and William & Mary on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall.
In The Rankings
Below is where Penn State sits in the respective GymInfo rankings for the week of Jan 19. (www.troester.com/gym)
Based on Total Season Average
National (PSU Rank, Leader)
Team: 193.862 (22nd - Florida, 196.500)
Vault: 49.037 (7th - Utah, 49.425)
Bars: 48.025 (NR - Florida, 49.225)
Beam: 48.825 (11th - Oklahoma, 49.225)
Floor: 47.975 (NR - Florida, 49.312)
Individually In The National Rankings:
Brandi Personett is tied for ninth on the floor with a 9.875 while Whitney Bencsko is tied for 20th on vault with a 9.850.
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.
In the second meet of the season, Southard continued to make an impact, capturing her first career collegiate event title at Illinois on Jan. 19, tying for first place on beam with a career-high 9.850.
Personett Opens Season Strong
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.
Ettl Remains Steady
Freshman Natalie Ettl has remained steady on bars in her first two collegiate meets. In the season-opener against Pittsburgh, Ettl posted a 9.700 and at Illinois in the first road meet of the year, she recorded a third-place 9.800.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.