Feb. 20, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 13 Penn State women's gymnastics team secured a 195.950-194.925 victory against West Virginia Saturday night in Rec Hall. More than 2,300 fans filled the gym to watch the double dual as the Nittany Lion men hosted Illinois.
Penn State scored a 49.200 on vault, a 49.250 on bars, a 48.200 on beam and a season-high 49.300 on floor. West Virginia earned a 48.850 on vault, a 48.700 on bars, a 48.475 on beam and a 48.900 on floor.
Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) won her fifth all-around title of the season with a career-high 39.700. Sophomore Whitney Benckso (Pompton Plains, N.J.) posted a season-best 39.300 in the all-around to take second place. She received the Ann Carr award for her performance.
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on vault taking the top three spots. Personett won her fifth vault title this season with a 9.950, while senior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) and freshman Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished tied for second with a 9.825. Senior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.), junior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) and Bencsko all tied for sixth with a 9.800.
Penn State moved on to bars in the second rotation. Senior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) took home her first individual event title on bars of 2010 with a career-high score of 9.925. Personett and Musser tied for second with a 9.875 and Bencsko took fourth with a 9.825. Freshman Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) finished tied for sixth with a 9.750.
Personett was the top finisher for the Nittany Lions on beam taking home top honors with a 9.925. WVU's Chelsea Goldschrafe took second (9.850) and there was a three-way tie for third among the Mountaineers. Rohrbaugh and Bencsko each posted a 9.775 to tie for sixth, while Musser scored a 9.375 for eighth and senior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) finished ninth with a 9.250.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor and had four of the top scores on the event. Personett won her seventh individual event title on floor with a career-high 9.950. Bencsko took second with a 9.900, Merriam finished third with a 9.850 and Rohrbaugh scored a season-high 9.825 for fourth. Southard rounded out Penn State's top performers on the event with a 9.775, which was good enough for eighth.
What's Next
The Nittany Lions are back in action on Saturday, February 27 at Ohio State. Meet action is set for 4 p.m. Penn State returns home on March 7 to host Maryland, Michigan and Bridgeport at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.