Jan. 9, 2014
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 9, 2014 - After opening their season with a hard-fought victory at Iowa State last weekend, the Penn State women's gymnastics squad will compete in their first quad meet of the season at Kentucky on Friday (Jan. 10) evening against the host Wildcats, Ball State and West Virginia.
Penn State opened the season behind the strong performance from a trio of juniors, while getting solid routines from their entire lineup.
Junior Randi Lau (Honolulu, Hawaii) earned her first career Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor after finishing tied for second in the all-around with 38.825 and claimed the vault title with a score of 9.825, which tied for the highest individual score in the competition. She also posted scores of 9.525 on the uneven bars, 9.725 on the balance beam and 9.750 on the floor exercise.
Fellow junior Sidney Sanabria-Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico) equaled Lau's score in the all-around with an overall consistent performance. She scored 9.700 or better on three events and added a 9.650 on the uneven bars. Sanabria-Robles finished second on the vault with a score of 9.750, scored 9.725 on the floor exercise and 9.700 on the balance beam.
A pair of freshman opened their collegiate careers at Iowa State, with Nicole Medvitz (Paramus, N.J.) and Emma Sibson (Allen, Texas) both making their debuts.
Medvitz saved her performance for the final rotation of the meet and her 9.750 score on the balance beam was tops on the team and helped her earn the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week honor. Sibson didn't have to wait long to make her debut, as she posted a score of 9.725 on the vault in the second rotation of the meet.
A score of 38.525 was a good starting point for junior Krystal Welsh (Bowie, Md.), who hadn't competed in an all-around since her freshman season in 2012. After being limited to only two events last season due to injury, Welsh posted her highest score of 9.725 on the floor exercise, while scoring 9.675 on both the vault and uneven bars.
The reigning Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week, senior Kassidy Stauder (Palmerton, Pa.) helped the Nittany Lions to victory with a pair of solid events. A score of 9.750 on the uneven bars led the team and finished third overall on the event, while her score of 9.725 on the balance beam anchored the lineup and sealed the season opening win for the Blue and White.
Friday's meet will begin at 7 p.m. inside Memorial Coliseum on Friday, Jan. 10. Penn State owns a 10-1 record all-time vs. Kentucky, is 1-0 in school history vs. Ball State and has a 27-6 all-time mark against West Virginia.
After their trip to Lexington, Penn State will open the home portion of their schedule on January 18 when they host Cornell, Southeast Missouri State and UIC at Rec Hall for a 4 p.m. quad meet.
For information on purchasing 2014 season tickets or Big Ten and NCAA Regional Championship tickets fans can visit http://www.gopsusports.com/tickets/w-gym-tickets.html or call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
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