April 2, 2015
| NCAA REGIONAL | |
| Saturday, April 4 - 4:45 p.m. ET | |
| Lloyd Noble Center | Norman, Okla. | |
| Meet Day Information: | |
| MEET DAY LINKS | |
| TV: Fox Sports Southwest/Fox College Sports Central (Live) | |
| Watch Online | Channel Finder | |
| Live Results | Championships Central | |
| Meet Notes | Season Statistics | |
| Women's Gymnastics Blog | |
| Follow Us: @PennStateWGYM | Facebook | Instagram | |
Meet Notes: Penn State | <!A href="https://gopsusports.com/">West Virginia Statistics: Penn State | <!a href="https://gopsusports.com/" target="_blank">West Virginia -->
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 posting the highest score at the Big Ten Championships in program history, the Penn State women's gymnastics program will head to Norman, Okla. to compete in the NCAA Regional Championships on Saturday, April 4. The University of Oklahoma will host the meet at the Lloyd Noble Center beginning at 4:45 p.m. ET and be carried live on Fox Sports Southwest & Fox College Sports Central.
The regional includes Big XII champion and No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 22 Southern Utah, Missouri and North Carolina State. The top two teams from each of the six regionals will advance to the NCAA Championships on April 17-19 in Dallas, Texas. The five other regional sites include: Ames, Iowa; Auburn, Ala.; Berkeley, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio and Morgantown, W.Va.
Penn State will travel to Oklahoma for the NCAA Regional for the second time in three seasons, as they finished fourth during at the 2013 Norman Regional. It is just the sixth time in PSU's 34 NCAA Regional appearances the Blue and White will venture outside of the Big Ten/East Coast footprint. The Nittany Lions have advanced to each of the 34 NCAA Regional Championships since they began in 1982.
The Nittany Lions will be looking to secure the 18th all-time trip to the NCAA Championships in program history and the second straight trip after qualifying last season. The 2014 squad posted the highest NCAA postseason score in program history at 196.725 to finish second behind No. 1 Florida at the University Park Regional.
Freshman Briannah Tsang became the fourth Penn State gymnast to win the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, sharing the honor with Michigan's Brianna Brown following the Big Ten Championships on March 21. Tsang won a school-record four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors and ranked among the national top-40 on the vault (37th) and the all-around (20th). She won 11 individual event titles and four all-around crowns during the season and scored 9.900 or better on all four events during the season.
Tsang, along with Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles and sophomore Emma Sibson all earned second-team All-Big Ten honors prior to the Big Ten Championships. Sanabria-Robles was among the top all-around performers in the conference during 2015, finishing the season ranked among the national top-25 with a regional qualifying score of 39.380. Sibson competed in the all-around just twice, but is ranked highly among her conference constituents on the vault and floor exercise to merit all-conference honors.
NCAA Regional Championship History
Penn State will be appearing in its 34 straight NCAA Regional Championships inside the Lloyd Noble Center on the campus of Oklahoma.
- The Nittany Lions have competed in every NCAA Regional since the first event was held in 1982. This will be the 34th straight appearance in the postseason for Penn State.
- Penn State has won the NCAA Regional on 12 occasions and finished second on nine occasions.
- In 2014, Penn State set a NCAA postseason school record with a team score of 196.725 to finish second behind No. 1 Florida.
- Penn State's highest road NCAA postseason score came in 2006 at Michigan with a 196.175.
- Nittany Lion gymnasts have won 62 individual event titles and 16 all-around crowns at the NCAA Regional Championships.
- Brandi Personett is the most recent event winner, as she captured the all-around and vault titles during the 2010 NCAA Regional.
2015 Big Ten Championships
Penn State posted a fourth place showing at the Big Ten Championships on March 21 in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Nittany Lions also set a school record in the process.
- Penn State's team score of 196.725 is the highest score in school history at the B1G Championships.
- The team total also equals the highest postseason score in school history, which was set at the 2014 NCAA Regional.
- Three of Penn State's four event totals rank among the top five this season; vault (49.275; 5th), uneven bars (49.275; 2nd) and floor exercise (49.175; T-4th).
- Penn State placed six gymnasts among the top-10 at the B1G Championships, including Sidney Sanabria-Robles (T7th) and Briannah Tsang (T10th) in the all-around.
- Sanabria-Robles and Emma Sibson both tied for No. 5 on the vault (9.900), Tsang finished tied for No. 5 on the uneven bars (9.900) and Christina Postiglione tied for No. 9 on the balance beam (9.850).
- Tsang earned Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year following the meet. She shared the award with Michigan's Brianna Brown.
Tsang Named B1G's Top Rookie
Freshman Briannah Tsang was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year following a solid showing at the B1G Championships on March 21.
Event Winners on Page 11.
Tsang Bio on Page 29.
- Tsang shared the award with Michigan's Brianna Brown. The shared honor is the first split FOTY award in conference history.
- She became the fourth Penn State gymnast to win the award, joining Sharaya Musser (2010), Brandi Personett (2007) and Nikki Bongiovanni (1999).
- The four Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winners rank second in conference history behind Michigan's 11 winners.
- Her four Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards set a new Penn State record and ranked second in the Big Ten this season (Brown, Mich.; 5).
- Tsang is one of just 25 gymnasts to post a 39.500 or better in the all-around this season and is one of only four qualifying freshman to reach the mark.
- She wrote her name into the PSU record books on three occasions; tying for No. 9 on the vault at No. 14 Illinois and at No. 8 Nebraska (9.950), and tying for No. 9 on the balance beam with a 9.950 vs. Maryland.
Sibson Shines vs. Mountaineers
Sophomore Emma Sibson had a standout showing on March 8 at West Virginia, which included a pair of event titles to help Penn State grab the road win.
Event Winners on Page 11.
Sibson Bio on Page 27.
- Sibson posted her first career multi-win meet at West Virginia, winning the floor exercise and tying for the vault title.
- Her 9.950 on the floor exercise is tied for No. 9 in the Penn State record books and was a career-high score.
- The 9.950 was the highest floor exercise score since Sharaya Musser equaled the mark on March 17, 2012.
- She won her sixth career vault title and her first career floor exercise crown vs. the Mountaineers.
Welsh Scores Big in Quad Meet; At WVU
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. She followed that up with a solid showing at West Virginia on March 8.
Event Winners on Page 11.
Welsh Bio on Page 30.
- Welsh claimed her first career all-around title vs. Brockport, Iowa State and Penn with a score of 39.400 on Feb. 28.
- She also tied for the event title on the vault (9.925) and won the floor exercise crown (9.875).
- The senior followed that with a pair of event wins at West Virginia on March 8. She topped the charts on the balance beam (9.875) and tied atop the uneven bars charts (9.950).
- Her 9.950 on the uneven bars tied for the No. 3 score in Penn State history on the event. It is the highest score since Madison Merriam's 9.950 on Feb. 23, 2013.
- She now has at least one event victory in six of her 10 meets this season, including two wins vs. Michigan State, at West Virginia and in the quad meet with Brockport, Iowa State and Penn.
Four B1G Awards for Tsang
In 2015, Nittany Lion freshman Briannah Tsang captured four Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards.
All-B1G Awards on Page 8.
Award Winners on Page 9.
Tsang Bio on Page 29.
- Tsang's four Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards are a Penn State record. She captured one more than Sharaya Musser (3) did in 2010, the first year of the award.
- 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.
- A the B1G Five Meet on March 14, Tsang posted the top all-around score by a Big Ten freshman and claimed her fourth weekly award.
- Her 9.900 on the vault finished fifth on the apparatus and she also logged a 9.850 on the floor exercise, 9.800 on the balance beam and 9.775 on the uneven bars.
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 5.
- Penn State entered the top-10 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 since Feb. 20, 2012 when they sat 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 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 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 was unblemished in its five 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
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.
School Records on Page 15.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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 occurred in 2014 on the floor exercise at the NCAA Regional.
- 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. 11 in the NCAA on the vault with a 49.310 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. 15 nationally with a regional qualifying score of 49.180 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 eight of its 11 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 three times.
- 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.
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 all season.
Event Winners on Page 11.
School Records on Page 15.
Tsang Bio on Page 29.
- Through 11 meets, Tsang has won 11 event titles and four 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 eight career meets, including two individual event titles vs. Cornell, New Hampshire & Rutgers (V, BB), Maryland (BB, FX) and at Pittsburgh (V, FX).
- She was named Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Year and claimed a school record four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
- Tsang has 23 top-three finishes in 44 routines and has placed among the top-three in the all-around on eight occasions.
- 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 again 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.
- Tsang is one of just 25 gymnasts to post a 39.500 or better in the all-around this season and is one of only four qualifying freshman to reach the mark.
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 16 NCAA programs to score 197.000 or better in 2015.
School Records on Page 15.
- 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.
- Four of the 16 programs are from the Big Ten; Penn State, Nebraska, Michigan and Illinois. Six come from the PAC 12, five from the SEC and one from the Big XII.
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 second in Big Ten history with 12 Freshman of the Week awards won since 2010. Michigan is first with 17, while Nebraska has 11.
- Tsang has won the award a school-record four 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.
Solid Senior Campaign for Sanabria-Robles
Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles capped a solid regular season by earning her second straight selection to the All-Big Ten Second Team in 2015.
Event Winners on Page 11.
Sanabria-Robles Bio on Page 26.
- Of her 44 routines & 11 all-around competitions she has finished among the top 3 on 27 occasions (54 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 25 straight meets dating back to the start of last season.
- She has won four uneven bars titles and three 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.
Penn State Pummels Pitt
Penn State held just over a one-point advantage after two rotations at Pitt on Feb. 21 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.
Quad Success
Penn State won three of four individual 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.
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.
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 above 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.
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 11.
- 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.
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
Another Event Win
Penn State has posted the top score on at least one event in nine of their 11 meets this season. The Nittany Lions also swept all four team event titles in five straight meets during the month of February.
Event Winners on Page 11.
- Penn State has claimed the top team score on all four events in seven of their 10 meets, including five straight meets from Feb. 7 - March 8.
- The Nittany Lions won only one team event title at No. 8 Nebraska and No. 14 Illinois.
- Penn State did not post the top team score on an event at the B1G Five Meet or B1G Championships.
- Penn State has posted the top team score on the vault and uneven bars eight times, and the balance beam and floor exercise seven times.
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 146-100 record.
- In his fifth season at the helm of Penn State, Thompson has earned 74 regular season victories and is 74-18 overall.
- Add those 74 wins to his 72 while at Auburn and the Highland Heights, Ky., native sits at 146 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.
Richards, Molinaro Join Staff
Head coach Jeff Thompson added a pair of experienced and talented members to his coaching staff this offseason in Jeff Richards and Kera Molinaro.
Richards has over 25 years of collegiate coaching experience across Divisions I, II and III. Most recently he served as an assistant coach at George Washington University in 2014. Prior to joining the staff at GWU, he served as the head women's gymnastics coach at Utah State University from 2009-13. Richards is familiar with Big Ten gymnastics, as well, spending four seasons at the University of Iowa.
He spent five seasons at the helm of the Aggies program and was named the 2011 NCAA Division I National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches North Central Region Co-Head Coach of the Year. His stay in Logan, Utah included 19 student-athletes advancing to the NCAA Regionals and 22 Academic All-WAC picks.
Molinaro enters her 10th season involved with collegiate gymnastics, which includes two years as the volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater, Oregon State, and three seasons on the coaching staff at Rutgers. She competed for the Beavers from 2006-09 and helped them to four consecutive appearances at the NCAA Championships.
A native of Lake Oswego, Ore., Molinaro ventured to the east coast and spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Rutgers. She had an immediate impact on the Scarlet Knights' program, helping them earn a berth at the 2014 NCAA Regional Championships. The NCAA Regional appearance was the programs' first since 2007.
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.
Getting Social
Follow Penn State women's gymnastics on Facebook by clicking here or on Twitter by clicking here. Stay up to date with any of our 31 varsity programs on your favorite social media platforms by clicking here.