No. 11 Women's Gymnastics Readies for Showdown at West Virginia

March 6, 2015 -->

PENN STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA
Sunday, March 8 - 2 p.m. ET
WVU Coliseum | Morgantown, W.Va.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
	PSU	WVU
Team	196.200	194.985
V	49.235	48.980
UB	49.040	48.535
BB	48.995	48.505
FX	48.935	49.050

2015 Regional Qualifying Scores

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After completing just the 13th undefeated regular season in school history, the No. 11 Penn State women's gymnastics program will hit the road for the remainder of the season, starting with a 2 p.m. showdown vs. West Virginia at the West Virginia Coliseum.

Last weekend, Penn State capped an unblemished home schedule with a quad-meet victory over Brockport, Iowa State and Penn. The win gave PSU a 9-0 record at home this season and its first perfect home record since 2011 (7-0). The quad-meet win also pushed its home meet winning streak to seven, the fourth longest streak in program history.

Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles continues to own the top regional qualifying score on the three of the four events and in the all-around. She ranks among the top-50 nationally on the vault (46th), uneven bars (43rd) and balance beam (25th), while ranking 12th overall in the all-around with an RQS of 39.350. Sanabria-Robles has won 10 titles on the season, with four on the uneven bars, three on the balance beam and three in the all-around.

Freshman Brianna Tsang is the top Penn State performer on the vault, with an RQS of 9.875, and has captured a team-high 13 titles on the season. She is the only Nittany Lion to win a title on all four apparatus and the all-around, and won at least one title in each of her first seven meets. Last weekend, she was unable to win an event, but placed second on a pair of events and tied for runner-up honors in the all-around at 39.300.

The all-around champion last weekend was senior Krystal Welsh. She captured her first career all-around title and tied for the event victory on the vault before winning the floor exercise to close out the meet.

West Virginia enters the weekend ranks 34th overall with a team regional qualifying score of 194.985. The Mountaineers posted their season high team score of 195.350 in a Jan. 31st meet at North Carolina State w/ North Carolina and William & Mary. They swept a quad-meet last weekend at Pittsburgh w/ North Carolina & Temple, scoring 194.975.

Alexa Goldberg has been one of the top performers all season for West Virginia, winning a team-high four titles, with all of them coming on the uneven bars. She is ranked 36th nationally on the apparatus with a regional qualifying score of 9.855. Melissa Idell and Dayah Haley are each ranked 38th in the NCAA with a RQS of 9.860 on the floor exercise.

Topping the Mountaineers
Penn State owns 28-6 regular season record against West Virginia since the first meeting between the two schools in 1979.

• The Nittany Lions have won seven straight in the series, including a victory last season in a neutral site meeting at Kentucky. Penn State scored 193.975 in Lexington to top WVU's 193.700.
• The first meeting in 1979 came in Morgantown, W.Va., with Penn State winning 138.300-119.850.
• Penn State won the first 11 meeting between the two schools.
• The Nittany Lions are 13-3 all-time in Morgantown, winning each of the last six meetings on the road. PSU is also 3-0 in neutral site meetings.

Welsh Shines in Quad Meet
On Feb. 28, senior Krystal Welsh performed at Rec Hall for the last time and she made the most of her final performance in the historic building.
Event Winners on Page 6.
Welsh Bio on Page 26.

• Welsh claimed her first career all-around title vs. Brockport, Iowa State and Penn with a score of 39.400.
• She also tied for the event title on the vault (9.925) and won the floor exercise crown (9.875).
• The senior finished fourth on the balance beam (9.850) and tied for sixth on the uneven bars (9.750).
• She now has at least one event victory in five of her six meets, including two wins vs. Michigan State and in the quad meet with Brockport, Iowa State and Penn.

Quad Success
Penn State won three of four event titles and swept the team crowns in their Feb. 28 quad meet at Rec Hall.

• Penn State placed at least four gymnasts among the top-7 on each event vs. Brockport, Iowa State & Penn.
• The took six of the top seven spots on the balance beam and five of the top six on the floor exercise.
• Penn State posted their second highest team score of the season, scored the seventh highest score in school history on the vault and posted a season-best score on the balance beam.

Penn State Pummels Pitt
Penn State held just over a one-point advantage after two rotations at Pitt last Saturday and eventually claimed the meet by a score of 196.175-193.350.

• Penn State's 2.825 margin of victory was their second highest of the season, behind the 3.600 edge in a 197.025-193.425 win over Michigan State.
• At Pitt, the Nittany Lions won or tied for the event title on all four apparatus, claimed the top three sports in the all-around and posted the high team score on all four events.
• Penn State took the top four spots and six of the top seven scores on the vault. Briannah Tsang (9.875) won the event, followed by Emma Sibson (9.850), Krystal Welsh (9.825) and Sidney Sanabria-Robles (9.800).
• The Nittany Lions took four of the top five places on the uneven bars and balance beam and claimed six of the top seven places on the floor exercise.

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 12 NCAA programs to score 197.000 or better in 2015.
Complete School Records on Page 12.

• 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 12 teams to top the 197 mark this season in the NCAA.
• Three of the 12 programs are from the Big Ten; Penn State, Nebraska and Michigan. Four come from the SEC, four from the PAC 12 and one from the Big XII.

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 223-52 overall record in home meets. The Nittany Lions are 220-52 at Rec Hall and are 3-0 in meets contested inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
• Penn State is currently unbeaten in its last seven home dates, which is the fourth longest streak in school history.
• Penn State swept its last two home meets in 2014 and won all five of its home dates in 2015.
• The longest unbeaten streaks in school history are as follows: (Streaks are listed by meets, not wins. Meaning if Penn State hosted three teams needed 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 - 7 meets
5. 2013-14 - 6 meets
2009-10
2005
8. 2007 - 5 meets
1992-93
10. 2011 - 4 meets
1991
1986-87

Three B1G Awards for Tsang
Over the first five weeks of the season, Nittany Lion freshman Briannah Tsang 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.

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 12.

• 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 on any event since it occured 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.
• Six of the top-10 all-time team vault scores have come on the road, including the school record performance at Illinois.
• The Lions also tied for the No. 7 spot on the vault list with a 49.450 vs. Brockport, Iowa State and Penn on Feb. 28. They equaled the score from last season at New Hampshire w/Bridgeport & George Washington on March 8.
• Penn State is No. 10 in the NCAA on the vault with a 49.235 Regional Qualifying Score.

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 No. 18 nationally with a regional qualifying score of 49.040 on the apparatus.
• Their 49.000 team score in the season opener was the highest to start a season on the uneven bars since Jan. 9, 1999 when they scored 49.125 vs. Rutgers.
• Penn State has posted the top team score on the event in seven of its eight 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 four times this season and Krystal Welsh has won the event twice.
• The Nittany Lions swept the top six places in their quad-meet with Cornell, New Hampshire and Rutgers. and had six of the top eight performers at Pitt.
• 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.

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 is tied for second in Big Ten history with 11 Freshman of the Week awards won since 2010. Michigan is first with 16, while Nebraska also has 11.
• 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.

Tsang A Hit Maker During Rookie Campaign
Freshman Briannah Tsang made a quick impact on the collegiate gymnastics scene and has been a solid performer for the Blue and White this season.
Event Winners on Page 6.
Complete School Records on Page 12.
Tsang Bio on Page 25.

• Through eight meets, Tsang has won 10 event titles and three all-around crowns and posted three top-10 scores in Penn State history.
• Tsang won at least one event title in each of her first seven meets, including two individual event titles vs. Cornell, New Hampshire & Rutgers (V, BB), Maryland (BB, FX) and at Pittsburgh (V, 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.
• 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).

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.
Sanabria-Robles Bio on Page 22.

• Of her 32 routines & eight all-around she has finished among the top 3 on 25 occasions (62.5 percent).
• Sanabria-Robles won the all-around at Illinois with a career-best score of 39.500. She also claimed the all-around at Pittsburgh (39.225) and vs. Ohio State (39.375).
• She finished second in the all-around at No. 8 Nebraska (39.425), vs. Maryland (39.350) and against Brockport, Iowa State and Penn (39.300).
• Sanabria-Robles has competed in the all-around in 22 straight meets dating back to last season.
• She has won four uneven bars titles and thre balance beam crowns 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.

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.

Nittany Lions Return to Top-10
Penn State's rich and storied tradition in women's gymnastics added another chapter on Jan. 26, 2015, as the Nittany Lions returned to the NCAA top-10.
Current National Poll on Page 3.

• Penn State entered the top-10 in the national rankings at No. 9 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.

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 142-99 record.

In his fifth season at the helm of Penn State, Thompson has earned 70 regular season victories and is 70-17 overall.

Add those 70 wins to his 72 while at Auburn and the Highland Heights, Ky., native sits at 142 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.

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.

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.

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