No. 12 Women's Gymnastics Travels to Pitt for Showdown on ESPN3

Feb. 19, 2015 -->

PENN STATE AT PITTSBURGH
Saturday, Feb. 21 - 1 p.m. ET
Fitzgerald Field House | Pittsburgh, Pa.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
	PSU	UP
Team	196.025	192.538
V	49.167	48.213
UB	49.079	48.163
BB	48.813	48.042
FX	48.967	48.121

2015 Season Averages

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team remains among the top-12 teams in national scoring average entering its weekend meeting at Pittsburgh. The No. 12 Nittany Lions will travel to Fitzgerald Field House for the 1 p.m. competition against the Panthers. The meet will be shown live on ESPN3, the online streaming service owned by ESPN Inc.

Penn State and Pittsburgh first met in 1965 - the inaugural season of women's gymnastics at Penn State - and will be meeting for the 50th time during the regular season on Saturday in the Steel City. The Panthers are the second most common opponent for Penn State, with the Nittany Lions owning a 46-3 all-time mark in the series.

The senior class continues to lead the way for the Blue and White, with Sidney Sanabria-Robles and Krystal Welsh finishing first and second, respectively in the all-around last weekend vs. Ohio State. The Nittany Lions claimed three of the four event titles, including a pair of wins from Sanabria-Robles, in the 196.275-195.200 win.

Sanabria-Robles leads the team in scoring average on both the uneven bars and floor exercise this season and ranks second on the squad and 22nd nationally in the all-around. Her five event wins are tied for second on the team, while her two all-around win are just one behind freshman Briannah Tsang's three in 2015.

Welsh is the team leader on the balance beam with a season average of 9.821, while Tsang tops the vault averages at 9.867. Both totals rank the gymnasts among the top-25 nationally on their respective events. Tsang's eight event titles lead the team, with the rooking winning at least one event title in all six meets this season, while Welsh has won five event crowns in 2015.

Pittsburgh is coming off of its highest scoring meet of the season last weekend at Michigan State in a 194.275-195.150 loss, a meet in which the Panthers held a slim advantage heading into the final rotation. The Panthers enter the weekend with a 192.538 scoring average, which sits 54th nationally. Along with Michigan State, Pittsburgh has faced one other Big Ten foe, falling to Ohio State, 190.825-194.675, to open the 2015 campaign.

The Panthers have a knack for starting fast, owning their two highest scoring averages on the vault (48.213) and the uneven bars (48.163). Tracey Pearson is the top all-arounder for Pittsburgh with a 38.321 season average, while Lindsay Offutt is one of two Panthers to average 9.700 or better on two events, sitting at 9.729 on the uneven bars and 9.829 on the floor exercise, which is the highest scoring average on any event on the team..

Lions and Panthers Meet for 50th Time
Just 140 miles separate the two universities and on Saturday inside Fitzgerald Field House the two programs will meet for the 50th time on the floor.

• Penn State is 46-3 all-time vs. Pittsburgh in women's gymnastics. This record includes regular season meets only, with the first meeting coming in 1965.
• Pittsburgh is Penn State second most contested opponent in school history (49), with Ohio State (51) the most common foe.
• Penn State has won nine straight in the series. PSU also won 17 straight decisions from 1966-83 and 20 straight from 1985-2003
• Penn State is 13-2 at Pittsburgh, 23-1 at Penn State and 10-0 in regular season neutral site competitions.
• Since 1993 Penn State and Pitt have competed in the same NCAA Regional on nine occasions; 1993. '95, '96, '97, '98, '99, 2000, '02 and '03.

Attaining the Elusive 197
The penultimate score for a collegiate women's gymnastics team sits at 197.000. It is not a score easily attained, with Penn State being one of just 10 NCAA programs to score 197.000 or better in 2015.
Complete School Records on Page 10.

• The 197.025 vs. Michigan State is tied for the fifth highest score in Penn State history. Penn State also scored 197.025 on Feb. 19, 1999 vs. Alabama.
• Four of the six 197.000 or better scores have come under the direction of Jeff Thompson.
• Penn State's team score of 197.025 in their victory over Michigan State makes it one of just 10 teams to top the 197 mark this season in the NCAA.
• Three of the ten programs are from the Big Ten; Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan. Four come from the SEC, two from the PAC 12 and one from the Big XII.

Nothing Uneven About Lions on Bars
The uneven bars can be a daunting task for even the most seasoned gymnast. A slight over-shoot can send you tumbling to the mat, but Penn State has put together solid showings on the apparatus all season.

• Penn State currently ranks 11th nationally with a team average of 49.079 on the uneven bars and four gymnasts are ranked among the top-75 in the NCAA on the apparatus.
• The Nittany Lions swept the top six places in their quad-meet with Cornell, New Hampshire and Rutgers.
• Their 49.000 team score in the season opener was the highest to start a season on bars since Jan. 9, 1999 when they scored 49.125 vs. Rutgers.
• Penn State has posted the top team score on the event in five of its six meets, improving their season best score in each of the first three meets.
• Sidney Sanabria-Robles has won or tied for the title on the uneven bars three times this season and Krystal Welsh has won the event twice.
• Against Maryland, Penn State claimed three of the top four scores. Krystal Welsh won the event with a career-high 9.900, while Tsang finished second (9.850) and Sanabria-Robles tied for third (9.825).
• Penn State claimed four of the top five spots on the event vs. Ohio State, including a winning total of 9.875 from Sanabria-Robles.

Three B1G Awards for Tsang
Over the first six weeks of the season, Nittany Lion freshman Briannah Tsang has captured three Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards.

• Tsang shared the award after a season-opening quad meet win over Cornell, New Hampshire & Rutgers on Jan. 10. She also earned the accolade after wins over Maryland (1/24) and Michigan State (2/7).
• Her third award came after winning the all-around (39.475) and tying for the balance beam crown (9.875) vs. Michigan State; finishing among the top four on all four apparatus.
• Tsang tied her career-best on the uneven bars (9.850) and floor exercise (9.875) to finish tied for third and tied for fourth, respectively, vs. the Spartans. She also notched a 9.875 on the vault tie for second overall on the event.
• Tsang captured her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor after winning the all-around vs. Maryland with a career-best 39.500.
• Vs. Maryland, she posted the ninth highest score in school history to win the balance beam with a total of 9.950 and followed that up with a 9.875 on the floor exercise to capture the title.
• Tsang won a pair of event titles and the all-around in the Nittany Lions' season opener vs. Cornell, New Hampshire and Rutgers.
• Her all-around score of 39.225 was the highest by a freshman in the season opener in school history and was the highest all-around score by a freshman since Sharaya Musser posted a score of 39.500 at the Big Ten Championships in 2010.
• Tsang won the vault title with a score of 9.850 and claimed the balance beam with a 9.800 mark in the season opener.

The Freshest B1G Team
Penn State has seen a Big Ten-best five different freshmen win the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award since it was installed during the 2010 season.

• A Big Ten-best four Nittany Lions have earned multiple Freshman of the Week laurels; Sharaya Musser (3, 2010), Samantha Musto (2, 2013), Emma Sibson (2, 2014) and Tsang.
• Overall, Penn State ranks second in Big Ten history with 11 Freshman of the Week awards won since 2010. Michigan is first with 16, while Nebraska and Minnesota each have nine.
• Tsang has won the award three times this season, which gives Penn State a multi-time winner in each of the last three seasons.
• Tsang became the second straight PSU rookie to win the initial FOTW honor from the Big Ten, as Nicole Medvitz did so to start the 2014 campaign.

Cracking the Vault Record
On Jan. 31 at Illinois, Penn State posted the best team score in school history on the vault with a 49.550.
Complete School Records on Page 10.

• The 49.550 broke the school record that was first set on Feb. 16, 2003 in a tri-meet at West Virginia with Rutgers (49.500).
• All six gymnasts posted scores of 9.850 or better on the event, marking the first time Penn State has seen all six performers top the 9.850 mark since they did so in 2014 on the floor exercise at the NCAA Regional.
• The previous record of 49.500 was equaled on two other occasions; 2004 NCAA Regionals and vs. Cornell, Iowa and Yale on Jan. 23, 2010. Both were home competitions.
• Five of the top-10 all-time team vault scores have come on the road, including the school record performance at Illinois.
• Penn State is No. 12 in the NCAA on the vault with a 49.167 average.

Tsang A Hit Maker During Rookie Campaign
Freshman Briannah Tsang has made a quick impact on the collegiate gymnastics scene and has been a solid performer in the all-around in all five meets this season.
Event Winners on Page 6.
Complete School Records on Page 10.

• Through six meets, Tsang has won eight event titles and three all-around crowns and posted three top-10 scores in Penn State history.
• Tsang has won at least one event title in each of her first six meets, including two individual event titles vs. Cornell, New Hampshire & Rutgers (V, BB) and Maryland (BB, FX).
• She has claimed three Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors and has 17 top-three finishes in 25 routines (21 event & four all-around).
• The rookie wrote her name into the record books three straight weeks from Jan. 17-31. Her 9.950 on the vault is tied for ninth best vault in PSU history, which she accomplished on Jan. 17 at No. 8 Nebraska and on Jan. 31 at No. 14 Illinois.
• She also ranks tied for ninth in school history on the balance beam with a 9.950 score vs. Maryland on Jan. 24.
• It is the second straight season that a freshman has entered the record books, with Emma Sibson posting scores 9.975 (T5th) and 9.950 (T9th) during the 2014 season.
• Tsang currently ranks nationally on a pair of apparatus and in the all-around. She is 35th on the vault (9.867) and 55th on the uneven bars (9.821), while sitting 25th in the all-around with a season average of 39.225.
• Her all-around score of 39.225 vs. Cornell, New Hampshire and Rutgers was the highest by a freshman in the season opener in school history and was the highest all-around score by a freshman since Sharaya Musser posted a score of 39.500 at the Big Ten Championships in 2010.
• The rookie posted the 10th highest all-around score in the nation during the opening weekend at 39.225.
• Her season-high all-around score of 39.500 is the third highest score by a freshman this season (Toni-ann Williams, Cal: 39.700; Kennedy Baker, Florida: 39.550).

Lions Achieve Historic Marks in Sweep of Maryland
Penn State did something that not many teams have done in school history inside of the historic Recreation Building on Saturday, Jan. 24 vs. Maryland.

• Penn State posted a team score of 196.550, which is the second highest January score in school history. The 1999 squad posted a 196.750-193.550 win over Florida at home on Jan. 30, 1999.
• It is just the seventh time in program history that the Nittany Lions scored 196.000 or better before the calendar turned to February. Most recently the Lions logged a 196.025 vs. Cornell, Southeast Missouri and UIC on Jan. 18, 2014.
• Penn State swept all four individual event titles, posted the high score on all four team events and claimed the all-around title.

Senior Campaign Off to Good Start for Sanabria-Robles
After earning second team All-Big Ten last season, senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles is gunning for first team honors in 2015.
Event Winners on Page 6.

• Of her 31 routines (25 events & six all-around) she has finished among the top 3 on 18 occasions (58.1 percent).
• Sanabria-Robles won the all-around at Illinois with a career-best score of 39.500 and vs. Ohio State with a total of 39.375.
• She finished second in the all-around at No. 8 Nebraska (39.425) and vs. Maryland (39.350).
• She has won three uneven bars titles and two on the balance beam this season.
• She has set or tied her career-high on three of the four apparatus this season; scoring 9.950 on the balance beam at Illinois, moving her into a tie for No. 9 in Penn State history on the event.
• Her 9.900 score on the vault at Nebraska equals her career-best, which she accomplished three times last season, and a 9.900 on the uneven bars vs. the Illini was a career-best effort.

Nittany Lions Return to Top-10
Penn State has a rich and storied tradition in women's gymnastics and another chapter is unfolding this season, as the Nittany Lions returned to the NCAA top-10 for the first time since 2012 on Jan. 26.
Current National Poll on Page 3.

• Penn State entered the top-10 in the national rankings on Jan. 26, 2015 with a season average of 195.750.
• It was the first time Penn State had been among the top-10 in the national rankings since Feb. 20, 2012 when they sat at 10th.
• It was also their highest ranking since Jan. 23 of the 2012 campaign when the Lions were No. 9 in the national polls with a scoring average of 196.000.

There's No Place Like Home
Penn State enjoys one of the most historic collegiate gymnastics venues in the country and they take pride in giving the home crowd something to cheer for, including a lot of wins.

• Since 1975, Penn State owns a 220-52 overall record in home meets. The Nittany Lions are 217-52 at Rec Hall and are 3-0 in meets contested inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
• Penn State is currently unbeaten in its last six home dates, which is tied for the fourth longest streak in school history.
• Penn State swept its last two home meets in 2014 and has won its first four home dates in 2015.
• The longest unbeaten streaks in school history are as follows: (Streaks are listed by home meets, not wins, which means if Penn State hosted three teams it would need to be victorious vs. all three opponents to extend the streak.)

1. 1977-82 - 28 meets
2. 1999-2001 - 11 meets
3. 1975-77 - 10 meets
4. 2014-15 - 6 meets
2013-14
2009-10
2005
8. 2007 - 5 meets
1992-93
10. 2011 - 4 meets
1991
1986-87

Sweeping the Floor vs. Terps
Penn State posted its then-highest floor exercise score of the season vs. Maryland on Jan. 24 and in the process swept the top six spots in the event.
Event Winners on Page 6.

• Freshman Briannah Tsang led the way for the Nittany Lions with an event winning and then-career-best score of 9.875. It was the first floor exercise title of her career.
• Krystal Welsh finished second at 9.850 and Emma Sibson claimed third on the event at 9.825.
• The trio of Lauren Li, Sidney Sanabria-Robles and Oni Timothy all tied for four at 9.800. No Terrapin competitor posted a score better than 9.775.
• It is the second time this season that Penn State swept the top six spots on an apparatus; doing so in their season opening quad meet on the uneven bars.

Carroll Back in Form After Injury Filled 2014 Season
Junior Lexi Carroll missed 11 of Penn State's 14 meets in 2014 due to a pair of injuries, but the senior opened 2015 with a bang on Jan. 10 by competing in three of four events for the Blue and White.

• In the season opener, Carroll hit on all three of her routines and posted scores of 9.725 or aboves on the uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise.
• She tied for third overall on the floor exercise and ranked among the top three for PSU on the balance beam and floor exercise.
• The senior took home the Ann Carr Award - given to the gymnast with the most inspirational performance at each Penn State home meet - vs. Cornell, New Hampshire and Rutgers on Jan. 10.
• Carroll missed the first six meets of the 2014 season due to a finger injury before returning for an exhibition performance against No. 15 Illinois on Feb. 15.
• After competing in three meets, she suffered an Achilles injury on March 8 and missed the remaining five meets of the season.

It's All About Family
The Penn State women's gymnastics program is all about family and there are numerous connections within the Nittany Lion family and the NCAA gymnastics community in 2015.

• Head coach Jeff Thompson is married to associate head coach Rachelle Thompson. The tandem has coached side by side since their time at Auburn and has two sons, Parker and Griffin. Parker is a member of the Penn State's men's volleyball program.
• Junior Sidney Sanabria-Robles transferred to Penn State after spending a season at LSU and one of the main factors in that move was being close to family. Sanabria-Robles competes for the women's squad, while her brother, Ismail Sanabria, is a part of the Penn State men's program.
• The gymnastics community is a tight-knit group and Krystal Welsh knows that all too well. The senior not only competed on the same floor as her brother, Jakob, last season, but also made up the only brother-sister duo to compete at the NCAA Championships in 2014. Jakob was a freshman on the Temple men's gymnastics team. The pair competed inside Rec Hall when the women's team faced Nebraska and Temple competed against the Nittany Lions men's squad on Feb. 8 last season.

Lions Post Sixth Best Season Opening Score in School History
You always want to start the season off on a high note and the 2015 edition of the Blue and White did just that with a team score of 194.675.

• The tally of 194.675 is the sixth highest season opening score in school history and their best first meet mark since a school-record 195.775 in 2012.
• Two of the top-10 scores have come under the watch of head coach Jeff Thompson.
• Four of them have been recorded at home, with four others accomplished at the Super Six Challenge; 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.

195.775 - Morgantown, W.Va. (2012)
195.075 - University Park, Pa. (1999)
194.875 - University Park, Pa. (2006)
194.850 - Gainesville, Fla. (2005)
194.800 - University Park, Pa. (2009)
194.675 - University Park, Pa. (2015)
194.600 - Tuscaloosa, Ala. (2004)
194.575 - Fayetteville, Ark. (2007)
194.375 - Athens, Ga. (2003)
194.050 - Pittsburgh, Pa. (2008)

Thompson Closing in on 150 Victories
Head coach Jeff Thompson is in his 16th season as a collegiate head coach and is closing in on his 150th career regular season victory. In his career, Thompson has compiled a 138-99 record.

• In his fifth season at the helm of Penn State, Thompson has earned 66 regular season victories and is 66-17 overall.
• Add those 66 wins to his 72 while at Auburn and the Highland Heights, Ky., native sits at 138 career wins. His overall record while at Auburn was 72-82.
• Last season, the Nittany Lions owned a 20-3 regular season record and set a school record for regular season victories.
• The previous school record was held by the 2007 squad, which finished 19-4 and placed third at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Thompson in Elite Company
Head coach Jeff Thompson headed back to the NCAA Championships for the second time as a head coach and his first as the leader of the Nittany Lions in 2014.

Thompson's first appearance at the national meet came with Auburn in 2003 and he led the Nittany Lions back to the national summit for the first time since the program went in 2009.

He is just the third head coach in NCAA history to navigate two different programs to the NCAA Championships, joining K.J. Kindler (Iowa State & Oklahoma) and Judi Markell (Penn State and Florida).

Thompson took Auburn to the championships during his fourth season at the helm of the program. The Tigers finished 12th at the 2003 NCAA Championships, posting a team score of 193.525.

The Highland Heights, Ky., native guided Penn State to their 17th appearance at the NCAA Championships in his fourth year, as well. The Blue and White finished 12th with a team score of 194.825.

Kindler and Thompson are still active head coaches and both led their respective teams, Oklahoma & Penn State, to the Championships last season.

Three Added in Early Signing Period
Sabrina Garcia, Mason Hosek and Jessica Jones each signed a National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State University and participate in women's gymnastics starting in the 2015-16 academic year.

Garcia, who trains at Prestige Gymnastics in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is coached by Tony and Jen Fatta and was the 2014 Pennsylvania Level 10 state champion on uneven bars and balance beam as well as finishing fourth vault and third in the all-around. She went on to compete in the USA Junior Olympic National Championships where she finished second in the nation on uneven bars and 19th in the all-around.

Hosek currently trains at Capital Gymnastics in Austin, Texas, and is coached by Barry Hyder. In 2013, Hosek claimed the national championship on both balance beam and floor exercise at the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic National Championships. During that same season, she won balance beam at the Region Three Championships after earning the title of Texas State All-Around Champion. In 2012, she had top-six finishes at the Region Three Championship on both vault and floor exercise, along with a sixth place showing in the All-Around. Hosek followed that with a seventh place finish in the all-around at the Junior Olympic National Championships. Hosek did not compete in 2014 due to injury.

Jones, who trains at Youngstown Gymnastics Center in Youngstown, Ohio, is coached by Sandy Sabo and Chad Cleland and comes to Penn State with a superb gymnastics background. In 2014, Jones finished seventh in the nation on balance beam at the Junior Olympic National Championships. She was also named the Ohio State Vault Champion in 2012, as well as the national champion on vault at the National Invitational Tournament in 2010 followed by a runner-up finish in 2011.

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