SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The No. 27 Penn State Women's Gymnastics Team had its best performance on beam in a season opener since 2004 but fell 197.175-194.450 at No. 5 Utah on Saturday night in the Jon M. Huntsman Center.
"Overall, I thought we started and ended the meet very strong," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "We had a very good start on bars and I think that helped shake our nerves. I think our depth showed on bars and vault and we feel comfortable with multiple lineups. On floor, we had good mistakes that we can fix. Our preseason work prepared us well and we know what we need to fix. Once we got to beam, we knew we would finish strong and we had five really good routines to finish."
"I'm really proud of the work the team put in," said Brown. "Our newcomers competed for the first time in their careers and performed well. Now they can be comfortable knowing that they belong on the college level. Utah had an incredible environment tonight that was very welcoming. We can't wait to get back in the gym and keep working."
In the final rotation on beam, Penn State won the event, posting a 49.000. That was Penn State's highest beam score in a season opener since 2004 when it had a 49.125 against Alabama. Senior Mason Hosek closed out the beam lineup with a 9.850, finishing second in the event. Freshman Jessie Bastardi posted a 9.825, placing fifth, in her first meet as a Nittany Lion. Sophomore Tess McCracken tied a career-best with a 9.800, good for sixth, while junior Kristen Politz recorded a 9.775 to place seventh. Sophomore Lauren Bridgens finished eighth in the event with a 9.750. Senior Sabrina Garcia registered a 9.100.
The Utes had a 48.975 on beam, led by senior MaKenna Merrell-Giles' 9.900. Freshman Adrienne Randall and junior MyKayla Skinner each contributed a 9.850.
The Nittany Lions posted a 48.950 in their first rotation on bars. Bridgens led PSU with a mark of 9.850, finishing third overall on bars. Garcia collected a 9.800 to place eighth. Sophomore Ava Verdeflor began the rotation with a 9.775 and McCracken matched her score to tie for ninth. In her first career bar routine, sophomore Kourtney Chinnery recorded a score of 9.750. Junior Erynne Allen began her Penn State career with a 9.675 on bars.
Utah tallied a 49.425 on bars, paced by Skinner's 9.950 and freshman Cristal Isa's 9.925.
Penn State registered a 48.625 on vault. Chinnery led the way with a 9.775 to place seventh overall. In her first career vault, freshman Melissa Astarita collected a 9.725 with senior Gianna LaGuardia matching her performance as the duo tied for eighth. Bridgens and fellow sophomore Alissa Bonsall each picked up a 9.700. Garcia garnered a 9.500.
The Utes collected a 49.400 score on vault. Skinner posted a 9.950, while Merrell-Giles had a 9.900 and senior Kari Lee tallied a 9.875.
The blue and white scored a 47.875 in the third rotation on floor. Bridgens and Garcia paced the Nittany Lions with a 9.825, tying for fifth. In her first floor routine, Astarita posted a 9.650, placing eighth. Bonsall recorded a 9.350, while Chinnery scored a 9.225. McCracken registered a score of 8.450.
Utah posted a 49.375 on floor, paced by Skinner's 9.950. Merrell-Giles collected a 9.925, while senior Macey Roberts earned a 9.875.
Bridgens placed third in the all-around with a score of 39.125, the sixth-best in her career. Garcia finished fifth with a 38.225. Skinner won the all-around with a 39.700.
The Nittany Lions travel to Boston next Saturday, January 12, for the Little Boston Invitational. Penn State will compete against Towson and Temple starting at 7:30 p.m.
Senior Mason Hosek led PSU with a 9.850 on beam