Sept. 27, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team, who finished the 2010 season ranked 14th in the country, hosts four home meets in Rec Hall in 2011, including two double-duals with the Nittany Lion men's team.
The 2011 schedule is comprised of ten meets during the regular season featuring teams who advanced to the 2010 National Championship and were ranked in the top 30 in the nation at the conclusion of last season. These teams include Alabama (No. 3), Florida (No. 5), Michigan (No. 10), Illinois (No. 16), West Virginia (No. 26) and New Hampshire (No. 30).
The Nittany Lions open the 2011 facing one of the top teams in the nation with a meet at Alabama on Jan. 7. From there the team travels to Michigan on Jan. 14 for a tri-meet with Illinois before returning to Happy Valley for its home opener against New Hampshire in a double-dual with the Nittany Lion men. The Nittany Lions head to Florida on Jan. 28 for a tri-meet with N.C State and return home to host a quad-meet with Pittsburgh, West Virginia, and Bridgeport at Rec Hall on Feb. 6. Penn State visits North Carolina on Feb. 18, and makes a trip to Maryland for a quad-meet with Rutgers and William & Mary on Feb. 18. The Nittany Lions return home to host Ohio State in a double-dual with the Nittany Lion men's team on Feb. 26. PSU hosts Maryland and N.C. State in its final home meet of the season on Mar. 4 and closes out the regular season on the road against West Virginia on Mar. 12.
"We are very excited to begin competition with our young team," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "Penn State graduated 48.7% of their competitive routines from last season. The freshmen are going to be called upon early and often. We have three of the toughest teams in the NCAA on the road during the first month of the season with a trip to defending SEC Champion Florida at the end of January. The trip to Michigan with Illinois the second week of the season will be a preview of the Big Ten Championship.
"We are beginning to see what these young Lions are like in practice," continued Thompson. "In just a few short months, we'll get to see them perform on the road in hostile environments and at home in Rec Hall in front of all the Nittany Lion fans."
Minnesota hosts the 2011 Big Ten Championship on Saturday, March 19 where Penn State will face Michigan State, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Illinois with the goal of earning the program's first Big Ten title.
The six sites hosting the 2011 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals on April 2 include Alabama, Denver, Georgia, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Oregon State. The NCAA Championship will be held April 15-17 by Kent State University at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.