March 17, 2018
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PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Freshman Lauren Bridgens (Darnestown, Md.) won her third vault title of the season with a 9.900, as the No. 25 Penn State women's gymnastics team finished fourth at the Big Five Meet Saturday evening at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
"Tonight I thought we got a little tight on the first two rotations," head coach Sarah Brown said. "After a few uncharacteristic falls on the first two events, I thought we battled back on floor and vault. We learned a lot and have another opportunity next week to get better."
In the team standings, No. 7 Michigan finished first with a 197.225, followed by No. 32 Iowa (195.275), No. 22 Minnesota (195.150), No. 25 Penn State (194.375), and Rutgers (193.725).
The Nittany Lions opened up the evening with a 48.175 on the uneven bars. For the Blue & White on the uneven bars, Bridgens led the way with a 9.850 to finish tied for eighth. Along with Bridgens, sophomore Kristen Politz (Morganville, N.J.) tied for 11th with a 9.825 and junior Sabrina Garcia (Etters, Pa.) tied for 14th with a 9.800.
Penn State then went to the balance beam during the second rotation where it posted a 48.325. On the balance beam for the Nittany Lions, Garcia and sophomore Tess McCracken (Plano, Texas) each posted a 9.775 to tie for 13th to lead the team. In addition to Garcia and McCracken, Politz tied for 15th with a 9.750. Following the balance beam, Penn State had a bye during the third rotation.
Following Penn State's bye, the Nittany Lions recorded a 48.825 on the floor exercise during the fourth rotation. The duo of Bridgens and senior Briannah Tsang (Vancouver, British Columbia) paced the way for the Blue & White on the floor exercise, as Bridgens tied for sixth with a 9.825 and Tsang tied for 13th with a 9.800.
The Nittany Lions closed out the evening with a 49.050 on the vault. For Bridgens on the vault, she captured the event title as the final competitor on the apparatus. Along with Bridgens, Garcia tied a season-best 9.825 to tie for fifth and freshman Alissa Bonsall (Higganum, Conn.) recorded a top-10 finish as she tied for 10th with a 9.800.
In the all-around standings, Bridgens finished fifth with a 39.300, while Garcia placed seventh with a 39.075.
With Penn State's fourth-place finish, the Nittany Lions will now compete in the afternoon session of the 2018 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships on March 24. The 2018 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships are held at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. Penn State will compete at 3 p.m. (EDT) against No. 11 Nebraska, Michigan State, and Rutgers live on the Big Ten Network.