Feb. 11, 2012
RALEIGH, N.C. - The 10th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team turned in a stellar performance in a quad meet at No. 21 N.C. State. The Nittany Lions scored a season-high 196.650, which earned the team a second place finish. N.C. State won the meet with a 196.775, while George Washington finished third with a 191.750 and William & Mary scored a 191.375 for fourth.
"It was a great meet," said associate head coach Rachelle Thompson. "We've been on the road for three meets straight and we just keep getting better and better. Tonight we had season high scores on both vault and bars. This was an incredible performance by our team and we've grown so much over the last week, let alone the entire season."
Four gymnasts competed in the all-around for Penn State. Junior Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted a 39.525 for her sixth all-around title of the season, while junior Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) scored a 39.375 for second place. Freshman Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.) finished fourth with a 39.150 and senior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) scored a 38.900 for fifth.
The Nittany Lions opened the meet on the uneven bars where the team posted a season-high 49.100, which landed the team on top early. Musser led the Lions with a 9.900 for first place. Merriam tied for second place with a season-best 9.850 and Bencsko earned a season-high 9.825 for fourth. Sophomore Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) finished seventh with a 9.775 and senior Alexandra Stine (Philipsburg, Pa.) scored a 9.750 for 11th.
In the second rotation, the Nittany Lions moved to beam where Penn State scored a 49.175 to maintain first place in the meet with a combined team score of 98.275. Musser earned her second individual event title of the night tying her career-best 2with a 9.950. Senior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, NJ.) tied for third with a season-high 9.875. Welsh scored a 9.800 for seventh, while Stauder and Merriam each scored a 9.775 for ninth.
It was during the third rotation that N.C. State took over first place in the meet. The Nittany Lions scored a 49.125 on floor for a team score of 147.400, while the Wolfpack posted a 49.275 on beam for a team score of 147.475. Merriam was Penn State's top finisher on floor tying for second place with a9.875. Bencsko took fifth with a 9.850, and Konsevick, Welsh, Musser and freshman Lexi Carroll (Olney, Md.) all tied for seventh with a 9.800. It was Carroll's first career appearance on floor.
Penn State secured its season-high team score of 196.675 with a 49.250 on vault. The team stuck five of six landings. Merriam and Musser shared second place with a 9.875, while Bencsko took fourth with a 9.850. Carroll posted a career-high 9.825 for sixth, while Welsh and sophomore Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) , who made her season-debut, also posted a 9.825.
Penn State returns home on Feb. 18 to take on SUNY-Brockport in a double dual with the Nittany Lion men's team. Action is set for 7 p.m. in Rec Hall.
The Penn State women's gymnastics team is on Twitter. Follow @PSUGym for the inside scoop. You can also find updates on the Nittany Lion gymnasts at GoPSUsports.com and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensgymnastics.