Jan. 8, 2012
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. - The 13th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team opened the 2012 slate with a first place finish in a tri-meet hosted by West Virginia. The Nittany Lions earned a team score of 195.775, while West Virginia finished second with a team score of 195.100 and Maryland took third with a 194.225.
Penn State's score of 195.775 was the highest score the Nittany Lions have earned as a squad in a season-opening meet in program history. The last time Penn State scored a 195 or better in the first meet of the season was in 1999 when the Nittany Lions defeated Rutgers with a 195.075.
"It was a great first meet," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "It was a great way to start the season, but we still have a lot of work to do. We had a fall on every event, but the girls handled the pressure mentally which was great for the coaches to see."
Five Nittany Lions competed in the all-around for Penn State, including juniors Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.), sophomore Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.), senior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) and freshman Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.). Musser earned the crown with a 39.500, while two other Nittany Lions finished in the top five. Stauder took third with a 38.950 and Bencsko placed fifth with a 38.625. Merriam scored a 38.450 for sixth and Welsh took seventh with a 38.300.
"Sharaya started the season the way she ended it last year, performing like one of the top gymnasts in the NCAA," said Thompson. "We competed five all arounders today and Kassidy joined Sharaya with a four-for-four performance leading off with hit routines on three events. Although Whitney, Maddie, and Krystal had mistakes, they were each incredible on the other three events and thank goodness each of them fell on something different!"
Penn State opened the meet on the uneven bars where Merriam and Musser joined Maryland's Karen Tang as the event winners each scoring a 9.850. Senior Alexandra Stine (Philipsburg, Pa.), who competes solely on bars, placed sixth for the Lions with a 9.750, while Stauder scored a 9.725 to take 10th. Welsh posted a 9.700 and Bencsko posted a 9.225 as Penn State's other two competitors on the event. The Nittany Lions took control of the meet early with a team score of 48.875, while WVU had a 48.825 on vault and Maryland was in third with a 48.300 on beam.
The Lions advanced to beam in rotation two where Musser took the title with a 9.900. Welsh and senior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) also finished in the top five after each scored a 9.775 to tie for fifth place. Bencsko posted an eighth place finish with a 9.725 and Stauder was ninth with a 9.700. Merriam recorded a 9.250 on the event. As a team, the Lions posted a 48.875 to improve their team total to 97.750 to remain in first place in the meet with two more rotations to go. West Virginia earned a 48.600 on bars in the second rotation to increase its team score to 97.425, while the Terps scored a 48.500 on floor for a 96.800.
Rotation three had the Nittany Lions competing on floor where Musser was once again Penn State's top performer. She finished tied for second with a 9.850. Bencsko and Konsevick both finished in fifth place with a 9.825. Merriam scored a 9.775 and Stauder earned a 9.750 for 10th and 11th place, respectively, and Welsh secured a 9.050 for 16th. Penn State combined for a 49.025 on floor and had firm control of the meet with a team score of 146.775. The Mountaineers registered a 48.600 on beam for a team score of 146.025 and Maryland had a team score of 48.625 on vault for a 145.425.
Penn State closed out the meet on vault where Musser earned her third individual event title of the day with a 9.900 for first. Bencsko turned in a 9.850 to tie for third, while Welsh had a 9.775 for sixth. Freshman Alex Witt (Odessa, Fla.) made her career debut with a 9.700 for 10th and Merriam scored a 9.575. The Nittany Lions team score of 49.000 on the event was plenty to secure the Lions their first meet victory of the season. WVU finished the meet on floor with a 49.075 and Maryland had a 48.800 on bars.
"We had a tremendous opportunity to start 2012 with a great meet and we feel like we've left the starting blocks heading full speed ahead," continued Thompson. "It was good to see that the team was not completely satisfied with their performance. We only stuck one vault and two bar dismounts and we know we have a lot to work on before New Hampshire next Sunday. This performance will give the team a lot of confidence and a shot of adrenaline for the training this week. We needed to compete before we could get better, and now we know exactly what we need to do. We are physically ready for any challenge and only need to work on our mental game."
The Nittany Lions remain on the road in 2012 with a trip to New Hampshire on Jan. 15. Meet action is set for 1 p.m. in Durham, N.H.