Feb. 23, 2018
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 28 Penn State women's gymnastics team (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) welcomes the No. 18 George Washington Colonials (12-5) to Rec Hall on Saturday, Feb. 24, at 4 p.m.
Saturday's meet marks the final home meet of the regular season for the Penn State women's gymnastics program. In addition to the women's program competing against George Washington, the Penn State men's team will take on Minnesota.
Following the conclusion of Saturday's meet, the Penn State women's gymnastics program will honor senior gymnast Briannah Tsang and senior managers Chanen Raygoza, Kira Schmoke, and Oni Timothy.
Last weekend, the Nittany Lions captured a first-place finish (195.325), in a tri-meet against Cornell (192.400) and Penn (192.200).
Against Cornell & Penn, Lauren Bridgens led the way for the Nittany Lions, as she won the all-around and floor exercise titles outright and tied for the uneven bars and balance beam titles.
Along with Bridgens winning titles, Tsang won the vault title outright and Sabrina Garcia tied for the uneven bars title.
FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can follow along with a free live stream and live stats on GoPSUsports.com.
PROMOTIONS
- 800 Strong meet
- Senior Day ceremony following the meet
- Post-Meet pizza with the team
TICKET INFORMATION
Fans can purchase single meet tickets and single double dual tickets for both men's and women's gymnastics for $8 for adults and $5 for youth by calling 1-800-NITTANY Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Group tickets for the 2018 season for both the men and women's gymnastics are also available for groups of 20-or-more for just $4 per ticket by calling IMG Learfield Ticket Solutions at 814-867-2541.
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
The George Washington Colonials enter the meet against Penn State following a third-place finish last week at the Gym Quarters Invitational.
Then-No. 4 LSU took the top spot (198.075), followed by then-No. 20 Missouri (196.025), No. 18 George Washington (195.650) and then-No. 8 Arkansas (195.575).
On the day, George Washington posted scores of 49.250 (vault), 47.950 (uneven bars), 49.200 (balance beam), and 49.250 (floor exercise).
Nationally in the regional-qualifying score (RQS) standings, George Washington ranks 18th in scoring average (195.735), seventh on vault (49.135), 31st on uneven bars (48.700), 14th on balance beam (48.995), and 22nd on floor exercise (49.050).
George Washington head coach Margie Foster-Cunningham competed for the Nittany Lions and graduated from Penn State in 1982.
While at Penn State, Foster-Cunningham was a five-time All-American and helped PSU to the national title in 1980.
B1G GYMNAST OF THE WEEK X2
Senior Briannah Tsang has received Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors twice in 2018.
Following a season-best all-around score of 39.425 against Nebraska, Tsang was named the Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 16).
On Saturday, Jan. 13, against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Tsang won the all-around title and floor exercise title outright in addition to tying for the uneven bars title.
On the day, Tsang tallied scores of 9.900 (floor exercise & uneven bars), 9.825 (vault), and 9.800 (balance beam) en route to a season-best all-around score of 39.425.
After capturing three titles at Michigan State, Tsang was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Feb. 5).
At Michigan State (Feb. 4), Tsang won the vault (9.850), floor exercise (9.925), and the all-around (39.475) - all with season-best scores. In addition to her three titles, Tsang tied for second on the balance beam (9.850) and she tied for fifth on the uneven bars (9.850).
B1G FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK X2
Lauren Bridgens has captured Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors twice this season.
Following the season opener against Eastern Michigan (Jan. 6), Bridgens was tabbed the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the first time.
In her Penn State debut, Bridgens tied for the vault title (9.825), placed second on the uneven bars (9.800), finished fourth on the balance beam (9.700) and on the floor exercise (9.725). Bridgens closed out the day with a score of 39.050 in the all-around as she shared the all-around title with Briannah Tsang.
Bridgens tallied her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award following the meet against Cornell & Penn.
Against Cornell & Penn (Feb. 17), Bridgens won the all-around (39.300) and floor exercise (9.850) titles outright, both with career-best scores. She also tied for the uneven bars (9.900) and balance beam (9.775) titles.
#Squad54
The Penn State women's gymnastics team is comprised of 10 returners and four newcomers. The Nittany Lions welcome freshmen Alissa Bonsall, Lauren Bridgens, Kourtney Chinnery, and Ava Verdeflor to the program.
VETERAN LEADERSHIP
The Nittany Lions return a veteran laden squad in 2018. Sabrina Garcia and Briannah Tsang competed as individuals in the all-around at the 2017 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.
Along with Garcia and Tsang, Mason Hosek, Gianna LaGuardia, and Peyton Schuller return to the Nittany Lions in 2018. Prior to the start of the 2018 season, Hosek has competed in 21 of 24 meets, LaGuardia has competed in 17 of 24 meets, and Schuller has competed in 18 of 24 meets.
TSANG'S 59 TITLES
Senior Briannah Tsang has captured 43 individual titles and 16 all-around titles in her Nittany Lion career.
With seven meets in the 2018 season complete, Tsang has 18 titles to her name. On the year, she has won four floor exercise titles, four vault titles, two uneven bars titles, two balance beam titles, and has captured at least a share of the all-around title six times.
SIX-IN-A-ROW
Senior Briannah Tsang opened the 2018 season by capturing a share of the all-around title in each of the first six meets. In her Penn State career, Tsang has won the all-around 16 times. With her fourth-straight all-around title on Jan. 27, Tsang became the first Nittany Lion since Sharaya Musser to win four-straight all-around titles (2/23-3/16/13).
NEXT UP
No. 28 Penn State heads to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to take on Pittsburgh & No. 29 West Virginia on March 4. The meet is slated for a 2 p.m. start at the Fitzgerald Field House.