Jan. 7, 2011
Final Stats
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In the 2011 season opener, the Penn State women's gymnastics team hit 22 of 24 routines for a team score of 192.750. Host Alabama won the meet with a team score of 195.350 in front of a 9,366 fans in the Coleman Coliseum.
"We couldn't be more excited or proud of the team," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "They looked completely prepared. We now know what areas we need to focus on. The routines just need some polishing. We're going to give them a huge dose of encouragement this week and expect their confidence level to be at its highest when we travel to Michigan next weekend."
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on the uneven bars with junior Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) earning a team-best fourth place finish with a 9.800. Sophomore Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished fifth with a 9.775 and sophomore Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) took seventh with a 9.650. Alabama's Ashley Sledge won the event with a score of 9.850.
Freshman Stephanie Brock (Burlington, N.J.) was PSU's top finisher on vault with a 9.625 for seventh. Musser scored a 9.600 for eighth and freshman Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) tied for eighth with classmate Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) scoring a 9.500. Alabama's Kayla Hoffman and Diandra Miller tied for first on vault scoring a 9.900.
The Nittany Lions moved to floor in the third rotation and Stauder led the way for Penn State with a 9.700 to tie for fifth place. Freshman Cassidy Bogar (League City, Texas) registered a 9.675 for seventh place and Brock took eighth with a 9.625. Hoffman earned a first place finish for the Crimson Tide with a 9.900.
Penn State closed out their season-opening meet on beam. Musser led the Nittany Lions with a 9.850, good enough for third place. Bogar placed sixth with a 9.725, while senior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) and junior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) tied for seventh with a 9.650. Alabama's Sarah DeMeo won beam with a 9.925.
Musser was the only all-around performer for the Nittany Lions. She scored a 38.450 to take fourth place.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions remain on the road for their second meet of the 2011 season. Penn State travels to Ann Arbor, Mich. on Friday, Jan. 14 for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with Michigan and Illinois.