March 12, 2011
Complete Release in PDF Format
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The 10th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team is closed out the regular season at West Virginia on Saturday evening. The Nittany Lions earned a 195.825-195.025 victory against the Mountaineers.
The Nittany Lions scored a season-high 49.125 on vault, a 49.050 on bars, a 49.100 on beam and a 48.550 on floor. Sophomore Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) claimed the all-around title with a 39.375. Sophomore Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) took second place in the all-around with a 39.225 and junior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) finished third with a 39.200.
Penn State opened the meet on the uneven bars with all six competitors finishing sixth or better. Junior Alex Stine (Philipsburg, Pa.) and senior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) were in a three-way tie for sixth place with West Virginia's Amy Bieski after scoring a 9.750. Freshman Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) tied with teammate Bencsko for fourth place with a 9.800. It was Stauder's first time competing on bars in a Nittany Lion uniform. Musser and Merriam both scored a 9.850 to tie for first place.
The Lions moved on to vault in rotation two with three competitors in the top four. Bencsko tied her season-high with a 9.825 to take fourth place, while Merriam tied for second place with WVA's Bieski with a 9.875. Musser earned the vault title with a 9.925.
While the Nittany Lions closed out the meet with a strong performance on beam, it was West Virginia's night on floor. Freshman Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) finished ninth on floor with a 9.750, while Bencsko scored a 9.775 to be part of a four-way tie for fifth. Merriam was Penn State's top performer on the event with a 9.850 to win. Two Mountaineers tied for second place, one claimed fourth and three others joined Bencsko in fifth place.
Penn State moved on to beam in the fourth and final rotation. Merriam and Bencsko tied for third place scoring a 9.800. It was a season-high for Merriam on the event. Junior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) finished in second place with a 9.850 and Musser took the crown with a 9.875.
What's Next?
The Nittany Lions are back in action on March 19 at the 2011 Big Ten Championship. Minnesota is serving as the host for this year's event. The meet is set for a 3 p.m. ET start.