FORT WORTH, Texas – Penn State Women's Gymnastics freshman Jessie Bastardi and senior Sabrina Garcia competed in the NCAA Semifinal I meet of the NCAA Championships on Friday at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The duo competed in the first two rotations alongside Michigan. Bastardi participated on beam and Garcia on bars.
"It was great rotating with Michigan today. They made us feel like we were part of their team as soon as we got here for the weekend," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "We're proud to represent the Big Ten and it's awesome that there's so much camaraderie between the teams. Jessie and Sabrina both represented Penn State and the Big Ten really well. In this new championship format, we were part of an electric, extremely competitive environment and it was the highlight of the weekend to compete here."
"On beam, she had the slightest mistake and she did a great job sticking with the routine and stuck her dismount. She was a little emotional after the competition, told her to use that as motivation to get the whole team here. Jessie and Lauren will be our leaders next year and show the team the type of work they need to be here."
Garcia competed in the first rotation on bars. The senior earned a 9.8125 in her routine. She finished 21st in the NCAA Semifinal I meet and second among individual competitors on bars. Garcia placed 44th overall on bars.
"Sabrina has been consistent all year and did a great job today," said Brown. "I got a little emotional when she came off the podium. She has endured a lot at Penn State but has grown up a lot. I'm so proud of her leadership. She will be missed big time."
Bastardi competed in the second rotation on beam. The State College native recorded a 9.7875 in her routine, placing 20th in the meet and third among individual competitors on beam. Bastardi finished 36th overall on beam.
"On beam, Jessie had the slightest mistake early and did a great job sticking with the routine and stuck her dismount," said Brown. "She was a little emotional after the competition, because she wanted it so badly, but I told her to use that as motivation to get back here next year with the whole team. Jessie and Lauren Bridgens will be our returners next year who have competed at NCAA Championships and they'll need to show our team the type of work they need to do to be here."
Bastardi qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career after posting a 9.900 at the Ann Arbor Regional. She competed in all 13 meets this season on beam, including a career-best 9.925 at Rutgers on February 9. The State College native has three beam scores of 9.900 or better this season and seven scores of 9.800 or better.
Garcia participated in her second NCAA Championships after qualifying in all-around as a sophomore in 2017. She qualified for the 2019 NCAA Championships with a 9.900 at the Ann Arbor Regional. The Etters, Pa. native competed in all 13 meets this year on bars. She owns five scores of 9.900 or better on bars this year, including a career-best 9.950 against Ohio State. The 2017 All-American won two bars event titles this season and recorded a 9.800 or better in every meet.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, finished the season with a 10-9 dual record and a No. 24 ranking in the RoadToNationals standings. Penn State placed third in Session I of the Ann Arbor Regional, tallying a 195.750, its fifth-highest score of the season.
