April 10, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team fell shy of advancing to the NCAA National Championships as the Nittany Lions finished third with a score of 196.050. No. 2 Oklahoma finished first with a 197.250 and No. 11 LSU took second with a 196.400 to both earn a berth in the NCAA National Championships. New Hampshire placed fourth in the competition with a 194.800, Ohio State scored a 193.875 for fifth and Maryland took sixth with a 193.750.
Senior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) and freshman Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished first and second, respectively, in the all-around. The pair advances to the NCAA Championships as individual competitors. Personett scored a 39.550 and Musser earned a 39.200.
As a team, Penn State scored a 49.050 on vault, a 49.000 on the uneven bars, a 48.775 on beam and a 49.225 on floor.
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on vault where Personett tied for first with LSU's Susan Jackson with a 9.950. Junior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) was Penn State's next top performer and she took seventh with a career-high tying 9.850. Rohrbaugh led off the rotation for PSU scoring a 9.675, while freshman Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) followed scoring a 9.750. Senior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) scored a 9.675 and Musser added a score of 9.825 to Penn State's total. Maryland's Allison Krikorian and Oklahoma's Natasha Kelley tied for third with a 9.900 to round out the top finishers on the event.
Sophomore Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) was Penn State's top performer on bars. She scored a 9.875 for third place. Stine scored a 9.800 to set the tone on bars for the Nittany Lions with senior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) following with a 9.750. Personett turned in a 9.800 on the event and Musser scored a 9.775. LSU's Jackson took home top honors on bars with a 9.950 and Oklahoma's Hollie Vise placed second with a 9.900.
Personett was the top Nittany Lion performer on beam with a 9.875, good enough for fifth place. Rohrbaugh was PSU's first competitor on beam and scored a 9.700. Hover turned in a 9.775 performance and Musser scored a 9.700 in the middle of the rotation. Southard was Penn State's fifth competitor on beam and she scored a 9.725. Oklahoma took the top three spots on beam. Vise won the event with a 9.950, while Kristin Smith and Megan Ferguson tied for second with a 9.925.
Penn State closed out the NCAA Regional Championships on floor. Personett finished second with a 9.925 and Musser scored a season-high tying 9.900 for third. Oklahoma's Jackie Flanery won the event with a 9.950. Smith started the Lions off on floor with a 9.750 before Rohrbaugh turned in a routine scoring a 9.725. Southard tied her season high with a 9.800 and Merriam posted a 9.850 halfway through the rotation.
Musser and Personett now begin preparations for the 2010 NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships on April 22-24. The University of Florida serves as this year's host of the event.