Feb. 21, 2009
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University Park, Pa. - Aided by season-highs on bars and beam, the 17th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team recorded a season-best 196.175 Saturday night at Rec Hall to finish first in its second quad meet of the year. New Hampshire (193.400), Bridgeport (189.475) and Rutgers (187.525) rounded out the field.
As a team, Penn State recorded team scores of 48.925 on vault, a season-high 49.200 on bars, a season-best 49.225 on beam and a 48.825 on floor.
Junior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) was named the Ann Carr Award winner as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet. Brockway competed in the all-around for the first time this season, filling in on floor for junior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.), who was injured on beam just before the meet. Brockway tallied a career-high 39.175 in the all-around, anchored by a personal-best-tying 9.825 on beam.
Junior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) captured her seventh top-five finish and her fifth individual all-around title of the year with a 39.450. Freshman Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) claimed second in the all-around with a career-high 39.325 while Brockway finished third in her first all-around competition of the season.
Penn State opened up the meet on vault, with Personett taking home top honors with a 9.900. Bencsko claimed third with a 9.850 as junior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) and Brockway finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with scores of 9.800 and 9.750. Sophomore Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) notched a 9.625 for 13th as the Lions only competed five due to Smith's injury.
On bars in the second rotation, Brockway finished on top, scoring a season-best 9.875 as Personett and Bencsko tied for second with scores of 9.850, a career-best for Bencsko. Freshman Natalie Ettl (North Prairie, Wis.) fell just shy of her personal best, scoring a 9.825 to tie for fifth place while Hover placed seventh with a season-high 9.800. Junior Lindsey Montross (Roseville, Calif.), competing in her first meet back from a knee injury, scored a 9.225 to round out the Lion competitors.
Continuing her remarkable comeback following a back injury two summers ago, junior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) claimed her second career individual beam title with a personal-best 9.900, the highest score in the event by a Lion gymnast this season. Rohrbaugh claimed third place with a 9.850, a score that ties her career best. Bencsko, Personett and Brockway all posted scores of 9.825 to tie for fifth, a personal-best mark for Bencsko and a season-high for Brockway. Sophomore Melissa Klein (Oceanside, N.Y.) also tallied a career-high, putting up a 9.800 to tie for eighth, as every Penn State gymnast finished with a score of 9.800 or higher.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor, with Personett capturing her sixth floor title of the year with a 9.875. Bencsko posted a 9.800 for second, Rohrbaugh claimed a 9.775 for third and Brockway, in her first floor appearance of the season, posted a 9.725 for fourth. Freshman Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) placed fifth with a career-high score of 9.650 as Southard recorded a 9.600 for ninth place.
Penn State closes out its home season next weekend, hosting No. 8 Alabama and No. 16 Ohio State on Sunday, March 1 at 2:00 p.m. at Rec Hall in a meet that will be televised by the Big Ten Network.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.