Feb. 11, 2011
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Nittany Lion women's gymnastics team put in another strong performance winning a dual meet with North Carolina with by a score of 195.925-192.975. The team score was a season-high for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State posted team scores of 49.050 on vault, 49.025 on bars, 48.800 on beam and 49.050 on floor. The Nittany Lions also claimed the top three spots in the all-around led by sophomore Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) who posted a 39.575, .025 short of her personal-best. Junior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) scored a 39.075 to take second and sophomore Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) earned a 38.950 for third.
"We had a great meet," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "We weren't perfect by any means, but everyone stepped up when they needed to. We came close to our goal of 196.000. I'm really proud of the girls. It was a great meet and a great environment with a lot of our alumni in attendance who came down to congratulate the girls after the meet. They were proud of the girls and so were we."
Penn State opened the meet on bars where five Nittany Lions earned spots in the top seven. Senior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) finished seventh with a 9.725 and Bencsko tied her season-high with a 9.750. Merriam tied for fourth with a 9.800 and Musser scored a 9.850 to take second place. Junior Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) claimed the crown with a 9.900.
The Lions moved to vault in the second rotation. Freshman Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) finished seventh with a 9.700, while freshman Kristin Blades (Gainesville, Va.) tied for fourth place with Bencsko for fourth place with a 9.775. Merriam posted a season-high 9.850 and Musser earned the vault title with a season-high 9.950.
Penn State headed to floor for the third rotation. Freshman Cassidy Bogar (League City, Texas) tied for seventh place each scoring a 9.750. The score was a career-high for Bogar. Musgrove posted a personal-best score of 9.775 to tie for fifth, while Merriam placed fourth with a 9.800. Bencsko scored a season-high 9.825 to take third and Musser claimed the floor title scoring a 9.900 to tie her career high.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on beam where five Lions placed in the top six. Hover took sixth with a 9.700, while Bencsko and Bogar each scored a 9.725 for fourth. Konsevick took second place with a 9.775 and Musser earned her third individual event title of the evening with a 9.875.
What's Next?
The squad heads to Maryland for a 7 p.m. quad meet with Rutgers and William & Mary on Feb. 18. The Nittany Lions return to Rec Hall for two straight weekends on Feb. 26 when they host Ohio State at 1 p.m. The meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and is a double dual with the Nittany Lion men's team. Penn State remains at home to host N.C. State and Maryland on Friday, March 5 at 7 p.m.