March 8, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 15th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team returns to Rec Hall on Saturday as it hosts New Hampshire, Temple and Penn in a 4 p.m. quad meet. All tickets can be purchased by calling Penn State Athletics at 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office inside the Bryce Jordan Center. Additionally, tickets may be purchased at the door.
"Penn State has always had a long and storied rivalry with UNH as we go there or they come here every year," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "It appears that they may have some injuries, but we are not taking anybody for granted. We are also happy for Temple and Penn, two Pennsylvania schools, to come here and compete in the quad meet. We get to compete in the championship setup one more time, the setup we will be using next year for the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Regionals. "
Last week, the then-22nd ranked Nittany Lions knocked off the Illinois Fighting Illini by a count of 196.300-195.775. The 196.3 team score was the third-straight meet where Penn State has posted a 196.3 or higher. Senior Sharaya Musser (Colorado Springs, Colo.) earned the all-around title with a final score of 39.5. Joining Musser in all-around action for the second-straight meet was junior Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.). The junior finished with an all-around mark of 39 flat. Penn State posted marks over 49 on three of four events.
With their efforts at Illinois, Penn State jumped up seven spots in the GymInfo RQS rankings. Musser currently sits fifth in the all-around rankings.
Penn State and New Hampshire last faced off on Jan. 15, 2012, defeating the Wildcats by a score of 196.1250194.250 in Durham. Penn State had five gymnasts compete in the all-around in the meet including Musser, Madison Merriam (Gaithersburg, Md.), Stauder and Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.). Musser earned the all-around title with a 39.425.
This will be Penn State's first ever matchup with the Quakers. Meanwhile, Penn State holds a 12-0 all-time record against Temple, having last faced off in 2005.
The Lions return home on March 16 to take on Kentucky on Senior Night at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. All tickets can be purchased by calling Penn State Athletics at 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
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