Feb. 10, 2009
University Park, Pa. - The 14th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team travels to Big Ten foe No. 16 Michigan on Friday, Feb. 13 for a 7:30 p.m. contest. The meet will be televised by the Big Ten Network and aired on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Live scoring will be available via a link at www.GoPSUsports.com.
Rotations: Penn State at Michigan
Rotation 1: Michigan, vault / Penn State, uneven bars
Rotation 2: Michigan, uneven bars / Penn State, vault
Rotation 3: Michigan, balance beam / Penn State, floor exercise
Rotation 4: Michigan, floor exercise / Penn State, balance beam
Last Time Out
Penn State scored its first 196 of the season en route to capturing the team title at the Penn State Quad on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Nittany Lions put up a 196.150 to defeat Cornell (189.675), William & Mary (188.375) and Pennsylvania (185.425), recording season highs on bars (49.075) and floor (49.175). Junior Brandi Personett captured all four individual event titles and recorded the second-highest all-around score of her career (39.550) for her fourth all-around crown of the season. In all, eight Nittany Lion gymnasts either set or tied 13 season or career records during the performance.
In The Rankings
Below is where Penn State sits in the respective GymInfo rankings for the week of Feb. 9. www.troester.com/gym
(Based on Total Season Average)
National (PSU Rank, Leader)
Team: 194.875 (14th - Utah, 196.730)
Vault: 49.075 (9th - Utah, 49.290)
Bars: 48.500 (25th - Utah, 49.295)
Beam: 48.730 (14th - Alabama, 49.245)
Floor: 48.570 (NR - Florida, 49.215)
Individually in the National Rankings
Brandi Personett is tied for 16th in the all-around with an average of 39.255 and ranks first in the country on floor with an average of 9.900.
BTN Broadcasts
The meet at Michigan on Friday, Feb. 13 will be televised by the Big Ten Network on a tape-delay basis on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET. Penn State's March 1 meet with Ohio State and Alabama at Rec Hall will be broadcast on the BTN on Sunday, March 8 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Personett Named GOW For Second Time In 2009
Junior Brandi Personett was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 9. It is the sixth career honor and the second of the season for Personett, who was also honored on Jan. 26. Personett captured all four individual event titles and her fourth all-around crown of the year on Saturday. Personett's unblemished five first-place finishes aided the 15th-ranked Nittany Lions to a season-high team score 196.150 and the team title at the Penn State Quad, with victories over Cornell (189.675), William & Mary (188.375) and Pennsylvania (185.425). The Katy, Texas, native fell just shy of her season high on vault, scoring a 9.925 for her fourth title of the year. She posted a first on bars with a career-high 9.900, her fourth top-five finish this season in that event. On beam she tallied a first-place 9.825 and recorded a first-place 9.900 on floor, marking her fourth individual title and her fourth score of 9.900 or better this season. Personett's all-around score of 39.550 is just shy of her all-time best score of 39.575 and is the second-highest all-around score of her career.
Ettl Starts Steady
Freshman Natalie Ettl has remained steady on bars in her first four 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. She also placed third on bars at Nebraska with a 9.750. Ettl then recorded a career-high and third-place 9.825 in Penn State's quad meet on Feb. 7. For her efforts, including returning from multiple knee surgeries, Ettl was named the Ann Carr Award winner as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet.
Next Up
Penn State returns home to host another quad meet, welcoming Bridgeport, New Hampshire and Rutgers to Rec Hall on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.