Jan. 31, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 31, 2014 - After a two week absence, the Penn State women's gymnastics squad returned to the national rankings at No. 24 with a team average of 194.688 and will look to continue to build on that against No. 21 Ohio State on Saturday (Feb. 1) inside St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The Nittany Lions have worked their way into the top 25 in the NCAA on three events heading into their matchup with the Buckeyes. Penn State currently ranks 25th on vault with an average team score of 48.794, 24th on uneven bars at 48.738 and 20th on floor exercise with an average of 48.938.
The Buckeyes also enter the weekend ranked among the top collegiate programs on the vault (23rd, 48.867) and uneven bars (22nd, 48.758), while also sitting in the top 25 on the balance beam. Ohio State ranks 18th on the balance beam with a 48.558 average score.
This will also mark the fourth road trip in five meets for the Nittany Lions, who enter the competition with a 7-1 overall record.
One of the most consistent performers this season, Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) owns the team's highest average and top season score in the all-around. The senior set a new career-high when she won her first career all-around title in the team's lone home meet vs. Cornell, Southeast Missouri and UIC with a score of 39.275.
She also has four individual event victories this season, winning two events in each of the last two meets. Stauder won the uneven bars (9.825) and balance beam (9.875) titles at Michigan State last weekend, after winning the same two events with career best scores a week earlier at home. In the Cornell, Southeast Missouri and UIC quad meet, Stauder posted a score of 9.875 on the uneven bars and 9.900 on the balance beam.
Sidney Sanabria-Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico) set a new career-high in the all-around last weekend at Michigan State, finishing second in the competition with a mark of 39.125. The senior scored 9.825 on the vault, 9.775 on uneven bars, 9.800 on the balance beam, 9.725 on floor exercise on her way to the career-best mark. She has finished second in the all-around twice this season and has one individual event win under her belt this season, winning the floor exercise in the Nittany Lions quad meet victory at home.
Freshman Emma Sibson (Allen, Texas) has been one of the steadiest performers on the vault this season for Penn State and owns the team's top vault of the season. The rookie stuck a 9.850 vault in the home meet with Cornell, Southeast Missouri and UIC and has three other vaults of 9.725 on the year.
Across the mat from the Blue and White will be a pair of former Nittany Lion gymnasts in Ohio State head coach Carey (Hoyt) Fagan and assistant coach Meredith (Hoover) Yonushonis. A member of the Penn State team from 1995-98, Fagan helped Penn State to a Top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships in 1998 as an uneven bars specialist. Yonushonis wore the Blue and White from 2003-06 and was named team MVP as a sophomore and junior. She also is among the school's career leaders on the balance beam with a mark of 9.975, which she set at Ohio State in 2006.
It is also a homecoming for Penn State assistant coach Randy Monahan, who was a member of the Ohio State men's gymnastics team from 2001-05 and was a seven-time All-American for the Buckeyes. A two-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, Monahan won Big Ten all-around title in 2003 and 2004 to earn the distinction. Monahan has spent the last six years with the Nittany Lions.
Penn State will return home for their first double dual of the season on Saturday, Feb. 8 when they host No. 8 Nebraska at 4 p.m. inside Rec Hall. The men's squad will host Temple.
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