April 18, 2009
Lincoln, Neb. - Three Penn State women's gymnasts finished among the best in the nation Saturday night at the Individual Event Finals of the 2009 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships in Lincoln, Neb.
Junior Brandi Personett finished fourth in the nation on floor with a 9.8875 after earning first team All-American honors Thursday. The finish gives Personett 14 top-five finishes this season on the floor, including 10 individual event finals. Personett's fourth-place on floor is her second straight top-five finish in the NCAA individual event finals, as she placed fifth in the nation last season on the beam.
Freshman Whitney Bencsko capped her freshman season with an eighth-place finish on vault with a 9.7813 while junior Alexandra Brockway claimed a 13th-place finish on bars with a 9.7875. Both also earned their first career first team All-American honors Thursday, and competed for the first time in the NCAA Individual Event Finals.
Penn State finished ninth in the nation after posting a 196.100 Thursday in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Team Preliminaries during Session I. It is the highest NCAA team score under head coach Steve Shephard and is the best team finish since 2000 when the squad placed seventh.
Individual Event Final Results
Vault
1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU (9.90)
2. Susan Jackson, LSU (9.8938)
3. Courtney Kupets, Georgia (9.8563)
3. Kristina Baskett, Utah (9.8563)
5. Michelle Stout, Arkansas (9.8375)
6. Jessica Lopez, Denver (9.8313)
7. Mandi Rodriguez, Oregon State (9.7875)
8. Whitney Bencsko, Penn State (9.7813)
8. Vanessa Zamarripa, UCLA (9.7813)
10. Staci Schwitkis, LSU (9.6813)
11. Sarah Shire, Missouri (9.50)
12. Maranda Smith, Florida (9.4063)
Bars
1. Courtney Kupets, Georgia (9.95)
2. Carly Janiga, Stanford (9.125)
3. Alicia Goodwin, Florida (9.90)
3. Kristina Baskett, Utah (9.90)
5. Kathryn Ding, Georgia (9.8875)
5. Ariana Berlin, UCLA (9.8875)
7. Melanie Sinclair, Florida (9.8625)
7. Michelle Stout, Arkansas (9.8625)
9. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU (9.85)
10. Nicole Ourad, Stanford (9.8125)
10. Morgan Dennis, Alabama (9.8125)
12. Ashley Priess, Alabama (9.80)
13. Alexandra Brockway, Penn State (9.7875)
13. Elise Wheeler, Southern Utah (9.7875)
15. Grace Taylor, Georgia (9.4625)
16. Summer Hummard, LSU (9.050)
Beam
1. Courtney Kupets, Georgia (9.9875)
2. Courtney McCool, Georgia (9.95)
3. Ashley Priess, Alabama (9.90)
3. Sarah Nagashima, Arkansas (9.90)
3. Kristina Baskett, Utah (9.90)
6. Elise Wheeler, Southern Utah (9.875)
7. Megan Ferguson, Oklahoma (9.8375)
7. Melissa Fernandez, Illinois (9.8375)
9. Alex LaChance, Arkansas (9.825)
10. Ricki Lebegern, Alabama (9.80)
11. Vanessa Zamarripa, Georgia (9.7625)
Floor
1. Courtney Kupets, Georgia (9.95)
1. Ashleigh Clare-Kearney, LSU (9.95)
3. Cory Hartung, Florida (9.90)
4. Brandi Personett, Penn State (9.8875)
5. Daria Bijak, Utah (9.875)
6. Mandi Rodriguez, Oregon State (9.8625)
6. Vanessa Zamarripa, UCLA 9.8625)
8. Brittani McCullough, UCLA (9.85)
10. Kylee Botterman, Michigan (9.70)
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.