April 2, 2011
Complete Results in PDF Format
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team fell shy of advancing to the NCAA National Championships after finishing with a team score of 195.850. The Nittany Lions were .075 behind second place finisher Illinois. Alabama won the meet with a 197.275, Illinois was second with a 195.925, Auburn took fourth with a 195.600, Kentucky placed fifth with a 195.175 and Central Michigan scored a 195.075 for sixth.
Assistant coach Randy Monahan was named the Regional Assistant Coach of the Year and Penn State's Senior Women's Administrator and Associate Athletic Director Susan Delaney-Scheetz was named the Regional Administrator of the Year.
Penn State posted team scores of 49.000 on vault, 49.125 on the uneven bars, 48.850 on beam and a 48.875 on floor.
Sophomore Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was Penn State's top performer in the all-around. She finished third with a 39.425. Junior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) placed 11th with a 39.075 and sophomore Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) finished 17th scoring a 38.650. Alabama's Kayla Hoffman claimed the all-around title with a 39.650.
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on beam where Musser led PSU with a fifth place finish. She tied with Auburn's Kylie Shields scoring a 9.875. Bencsko scored a 9.775 to tie for 16th, while freshman Cassidy Bogar (League City, Texas) finished 21st with a 9.750. Senior Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) and junior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) tied for 26th with a 9.725. Geralen Stack-Eaton of Alabama posted a 9.950 to claim the crown.
After a bye in rotation two, Penn State moved on to floor. Musser and Benscko were part of an 11-way tie for 10th after each scoring a 9.800. Bogar was Penn State's next top performer and finished tied for 21st with a 9.775. Freshman Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) and Merriam each earned a 9.750 to finish 27th. Alabama's Hoffman earned a 9.925 to win the event.
Rotation four had Penn State competing on vault. The Nittany Lions had two gymnasts finish in the top 10, including Musser, who placed second with a 9.900, and Merriam, who recorded a 9.825 for seventh. Freshman Kristin Blades (Gainesville, Va.) scored a 9.800, good enough for 11th place, and Bencsko posted a 9.750 to tie for 21st. Musgrove and Hover each earned a 9.725 to place 28th. Hoffman picked up another individual title scoring a 9.925.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on the uneven bars in rotation six after having a bye during the fifth rotation. Three Penn State gymnasts finished in the top three as part of a six-way tie for third. Junior Alex Stine (Philipsburg, Pa.), Merriam and Musser all posted a 9.850 to share third place. Hover scored a 9.800 to tie for 0th, while junior Natalie Ettl (Waukesha, Wis.) scored a 9.775 for 18th. Hoffman earned her third individual event title of the night with a 9.900.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit GoPSUsports.com.