March 11, 2012
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The 12th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team posted two season-highs on the way to a 196.425-195.075 win at Pittsburgh Sunday evening. The Nittany Lions earned season bests on both the uneven bars and floor exercise.
"We got off to a great start on bars and only had one major mistake, but overall the girls did really well," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "Our vaulting was outstanding, including Maddie's stuck vault as the highlight. We also scored a season-high on floor where the girls looked comfortable, confident and looked like they were having fun. On beam we didn't have any falls, but we had a break in each routine. It was almost as if they were trying too hard for the big score. We are proud of how they fought through the whole meet and had fun all night long. We are looking forward to another week of practice and Senior Night on Saturday."
Penn State opened the meet on the uneven bars where the team scored a season-high 49.200 for the early lead. Pittsburgh opened on vault and scored a 48.850. Sophomore Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) started the Nittany Lions off with a 9.825 and freshman Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.) followed with a career-high 9.800. Senior Alex Stine (Philipsburg, Pa.) tied her personal-best with a 9.850. Juniors Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) and Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) posted a 9.825 and a 9.900, respectively.
In rotation two the Nittany Lions competed on vault and solidified their lead with a team score of 49.150 for a 98.350 overall. Pittsburgh turned in a 48.100 on bars for a 96.950. Merriam was Penn State's top performer on the event tying her career best with a 9.925. Sophomore Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) scored a 9.825, while senior Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.), Welsh and Musser all scored a 9.800.
The Nittany Lions moved on to floor in the third rotation scoring a season-high 49.450 to improve their overall score to 147.800. Pittsburgh continued to trail with at 145.775 after posting a 48.825 on beam.
Senior Daryl Konsevick (Rutherford, N.J.) led off on floor with a 9.875 to tie her season-best, while freshman Lexi Carroll (Olney, Md.) earned a career-high 9.850. Both Welsh and Benscko posted a 9.875 and Merriam scored a 9.900 to tie her season best. Musser led the Lions with a 9.925, which tied her season high.
Penn State closed out the meet on beam scored a 48.625. Despite Pittsburgh scoring a 49.300 on floor, Penn State had developed a strong enough lead to claim the team victory.
Musser was the top Nittany Lion on beam with a 9.775 and Konsevick posted a 9.750. Bencsko earned a 9.725 and Stauder scored a 9.700. Merriam rounded out Penn State's top performers on beam with a 9.675.
The Nittany Lions had four all-around competitors, including Bencsko, Merriam, Musser and Welsh. Musser won her eighth all-around crown of the season with a 39.400. Merriam tied for second with a 39.325, while Welsh took fourth with a 39.075. Bencsko earned a 38.475 for sixth.
The Nittany Lions return home for one final meet in 2012 on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. The squad will honor the team's four seniors for their contributions to the Penn State program prior to the meet. The Penn State men's team will also be in action at Rec Hall Saturday night hosting Minnesota.
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.