Feb. 6, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 17th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team topped No. 23 Illinois on Saturday evening with a season-high score of 196.425 to 196.275. Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) won the all-around with a career-high tying score of 39.600.
Senior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) was the Ann Carr award winner. She finished third on vault with a 9.825 and performed an exhibition routine on floor for the first time since prior to her season-ending injury in 2009.
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on vault where Personett was the top Nittany Lion finisher with a score of 9.850. Behind Smith, freshman Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) tied for fifth with a 9.800. Junior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) took ninth with a 9.700, while senior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) and sophomore Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) tied for 10th with a 9.650. Illinois' Allison Buckley won the event with a 9.900.
Penn State moved on to bars for rotation two. Sophomore Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) won the event with a career-high score of 9.950. Personett took third with a 9.875. Freshman Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) tied with teammate Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) for fourth with a 9.850 and Bencsko took ninth scoring a 9.825.
Personett led the Lions on beam winning the event with a career-high 9.950. Senior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) placed fourth with a career-high tying 9.900 and Bencsko placed fifth with a 9.875, also a career-high. Rohrbaugh and Musser rounded out PSU's top performers on beam taking eighth and ninth, respectively. Rohrbaugh posted a 9.700 and Musser registered a 9.675.
Penn State finished out the meet on floor where Personett shined once again taking first with a 9.925. Bencsko finished third with a 9.875 and Merriam tied for fifth with a 9.825. Rohrbaugh took eighth on floor with a 9.775 and Konsevick finished ninth with a 9.750.
What's Next
The Nittany Lions travel to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 13 for a meet with the Panthers. Penn State returns home on Feb. 20 when it hosts West Virginia in a double dual with the Penn State men's gymnastics team.