March 23, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 14th ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team posted a team score of 195.825 to earn a sixth-place finish at the 2013 Big Ten Championships on the Michigan State campus on Saturday evening. Senior Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned a 39.425 all-around score to take sixth in the field.
The University of Nebraska took home the overall title, while Michigan finished in second. Minnesota, Illinois and Ohio State rounded out the top five.
Penn State kicked things off on the vault, posting a total score of 48.925. Musser led the way on the vault with a 9.85. Senior Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.) finished right behind her senior and co-captain teammate with a 9.825. Penn State had three gymnasts finish with a 9.75, including junior Lindsay Musgrove (League City, Texas), sophomore Lexi Carroll (Olney, Md.) and freshman Samantha Musto (Mays Landing, N.J.).
The Nittany Lions picked things up on the bars, posting a score of 49.175. Musser led the way on the unevens with 9.9. Musgrove came in behind her with 9.875, followed by three 9.8's to round out the top five. The 9.8 scores came from Musto, junior Sidney Sanabria-Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico) and junior Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.).
Penn State next turned to the balance beam, where it posted a score of 48.600. Musser was the Nittany Lions' top competitor on the beam, posting a mark of 9.875. Stauder finished behind Musser with a 9.850, followed by a 9.750 from sophomore Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.).
The Nittany Lions finished off the meet with a 49.125 on the floor exercise. Merriam was Penn State's top gymnast on the floor, putting up a 9.9 on the scoreboard. The Nittany Lions went on to have three more competitors post scores of 9.8 or better. Carroll posted a mark of 9.85 while Musgrove went with a 9.825 and Musser put up a 9.8. Freshman Taylor Alotta (New Tripoli, Pa.) and Stauder each earned marks of 9.75.
Penn State will have two weeks off before NCAA Regionals on April 6. Penn State will learn its fate on Monday, March 25. A total of 36-teams, 30 all-around and 24 individual event competitors will be announced.
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