March 22, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Coming off their second best performance in program history, the Penn State women's gymnastics team will compete in the Big Ten Championships this Saturday at 6 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich. The meet will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network.
"Going into the evening session, we are facing the only three Big Ten teams that beat us this year," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "Minnesota beat us here earlier in the season here at home when Maddie and Sammie got injured. Nebraska beat us on the road, that's the last time we counted a fall. And then Michigan beat us on the road, and that's the weekend where we really learned to finish a competition."
Big Ten Gymnastics Championships History
Penn State, a member of the Big Ten Conference since the 1992 season, has 11 second place finishes and six third place finishes at the Championships during that time span. Penn State has produced 13 Big Ten Individual Champions earning 23 titles. Last year, Penn State finished six and Sharaya Musser took home Big Ten Gymnast of the Year Honors.
Merriam and Musser Named First Team All-Big Ten
Following a phenomenal regular season, Penn State senior co-captains Sharaya Musser and Madison Merriam were named First Team All-Big Ten selections. Musser takes home first team honors for the fourth time in her career, while this is Merriam's first time ever on the first team.
Penn State Posts Second Highest Mark in School History
Penn State women's gymnastics team posted a 197.325, the second highest score in program history, to hold off the 19th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats on Senior Night by a count of 197.325-196.775. The 196.775 number for Kentucky broke its program record. Penn State topped the 197 mark for the first time this season. Senior Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned the all-around title with a final score of 39.650, the second highest all-around score in her career. Senior Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) tied her career-high on vault with a stunning 9.95, earning scores of 9.925 or higher on two of the three events she competed in. Both seniors were recognized after the meet in their last home competition
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