April 24, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Alix Faden will join the Penn State women's gymnastics team for the 2013 season, announced head coach Jeff Thompson.
"We are so excited to be adding Alix to our roster next season," said Thompson. "She does beautiful gymnastics and has `the look' that coaches simply cannot teach. It is a gift and we know our fans are going to enjoy watching her."
Faden will join the Nittany Lions after being a member at the Gold Medal Gymnastics Center (GMGC) in Huntington, N.Y. where she was coached by Tammy Marshall-Panten. A Junior Olympics national qualifier as a high school junior, Faden had finished second at Level 9 States and Regionals the year before, while also placing ninth in the all-around in Eastern Nationals. As a senior, Faden placed third in the all-around with a first place finish on beam and a second place finish on bars at the Parkettes Invitational. In addition, she won the uneven bars crown at the Brestyans Invitational and placed second on beam in the Manhattan Classic.
"Alix is a very hard worker who is dedicated to coming here and continuing to get better and better each year," said Thompson. "Her coach, Tammy, was a great college gymnast and has a history of producing athletes that understand the expectations of Division I NCAA Gymnastics programs before they even set foot in the practice gym."
Faden joins Taylor Alotta, Shealyn Farley and Samantha Musto who all signed National Letters of Intent in November to join the Nittany Lion program.
The Penn State women's gymnastics team is on Twitter. Follow the team (@PSUGym) to get the inside scoop. The Nittany Lions are also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pennstatewomensgymnastics.