March 10, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) has been voted one of six finalists for the American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) Award. AAI presents the award each year to the most outstanding female gymnast in the country.
Each year, coaches submit nominees and are asked to vote for the candidate of their choice. Once six finalists have been selected, a final vote is conducted to determine the overall winner. The award is presented and all finalists are recognized at the NCAA Championships reception.
Personett, a five-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week so far in 2010, is one of five seniors on the Nittany Lion squad this season. She has been a major contributor from the start of her Penn State gymnastics career in 2007. The 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2009 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, Personett is a two-time first team All-American and multiple Big Ten Champion. She currently ranks third in the nation in the all-around with a regional qualifying score of 39.480. Twice this season, Personett has scored a 10.0 on vault. She is the first Nittany Lion women's gymnast to score a 10.0 on vault since 2003.
Personett not only excels in the gym, but also in the classroom and the community. She is a three-time NACGC/W Scholar-Athlete, a 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-District II selection, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has made it on the dean's list seven times. She holds a 3.77 grade point average in Nursing. Personett has volunteered countless hours fundraising for various causes, including The Kevin Dare Foundation and the Penn State Dance MaraTHON. She has also volunteered as a camp counselor, as a judge for the Special Olympics hosted at Penn State and for the Centre County Women's Resource Center's annual 5K run.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are in action on Friday, March 12 at No. 9 Utah with No. 8 Oregon State and No. 21 Southern Utah. Meet action is set for 7 p.m. MT. Penn State is back at home on March 20 against Nebraska in a double-dual with the Penn State men's gymnastics team. The meet is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.