Jan. 19, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team posted a 194.300 overall score to earn a third-place finish in its home opener in Rec Hall on Saturday night. Senior Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) was Penn state's top scorer, posting a final of 38.775.
Minnesota won the meet with a team score of 195.450, while Kent State finished second at 195.525. Rounding out the teams competing was Towson, who finished with a 192.175. Saturday's meet also featured a new setup in Rec Hall. The floor was placed in the middle with the beam on one end and the uneven bars on the other. The vault was placed on the north end of Rec Hall.
"The girls loved the setup. I think this is a great setup for TV and the fans. It's great for hosting big meets like the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regionals, which we are hosting next year. It's a first step in preparing this team in competing next March in the Big Ten Championships."
Joining Musser in the all-around was junior Sidney Sanabria-Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico), who originally was scheduled to compete in three events but replaced senior Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.). Merriam suffered a foot injury on her uneven bars routine, which allowed Robles to compete in place for her on the floor. Robles posted an all-around score of 38.650, topping her season best that was set last weekend. Freshmen Samantha Musto (Mays Landing, N.J.) was Penn State's final all-around competitor, finishing with a 36.425.
Penn State opened on the vault and posted a score of 48.400. Musser led the way on the vault with a 9.850, followed by Merriam with a 9.800. The Nittany Lions next headed to the bars and had three competitors hit a 9.800 in Musser, Musto and junior Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.). The 9.800 was a season-best for Stauder.
Over on the beam, Stauder was phenomenal as she matched her career-high with a 9.900. Musser matched Stauder's score as well, while freshman Alix Faden (Roslyn, N.Y.) finished with a 9.875. Musto beat her season-high with a 9.800. Penn State posted a 49.250 on the beam, a meet-best for them.
The Nittany Lions finished the night on the floor, with junior Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas) leading the way with a 9.775.
Penn State returns to Rec Hall next Saturday at 7 p.m. for a quad meet. The meet will feature Iowa, Pittsburgh and Rutgers.
The Penn State women's gymnastics team is on Twitter. Follow @PennStateWGYM 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.