UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team released its 2020 schedule on Monday. The schedule features meets against 14 NCAA Regional teams and nine teams that finished in the final Top 25 of the RoadToNationals standings. The Nittany Lions will host five home meets as well as a 2020 NCAA Regional. Penn State is set for two key Big Ten meets to be featured on two national broadcasts, facing Nebraska on January 16 on ESPN2 and Iowa on January 25 on Big Ten Network.
The season opens on Saturday, January 4 at the California Grand Invitational in Anaheim, California. The Nittany Lions will take on Arizona State, Auburn and Denver. All three opponents reached at least an NCAA Regional. Denver finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, after winning the Corvallis Regional, while Auburn reached the regional final of the Baton Rouge Regional. Denver finished the 2019 season ranked No. 4 in the final RoadToNationals standings, while Auburn and Arizona State finished 16th and 25th, respectively.
"I'm so excited to announce the 2020 regular season schedule and I'm looking forward to a number of high-quality competitions this year," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "Opening the season on a podium in California will be a great way to kick things off and help our team to begin preparing for post-season early on. As we head into our Big Ten matchups, we know we'll see fierce competition, but that's what makes this conference so exciting!"
Penn State welcomes West Virginia for its home opener at Rec Hall on Saturday, January 11 at 4 p.m. The Mountaineers competed at the Ann Arbor NCAA Regional last season and finished 27th in the nation.
The Nittany Lions begin Big Ten action on Thursday, January 16 at Nebraska. The 7 p.m. contest will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Cornhuskers made the final of the NCAA Regional and ranked 14th to finish the season.
Penn State returns to Rec Hall on Saturday, January 25 for a meet against Iowa at 4 p.m. The meet will be broadcast on Big Ten Network. The Hawkeyes competed at the Corvallis Regional before ranking 31st in the final RoadToNationals standings.
The blue and white hosts Rutgers on Friday, January 31 for a 7 p.m. meet. The Scarlet Knights ranked 47th in the RoadToNationals standings in 2019.
Penn State travels to Champaign on Friday, February 7 for an 8 p.m. matchup. The Illini competed at the Ann Arbor Regional and ranked 23rd to end the season. The Nittany Lions earned a 195.275-193.500 victory over Illinois on February 2, 2019.
The Nittany Lions visit Ohio State for a 7 p.m. meet on Friday, February 14. The Buckeyes reached the Ann Arbor Regional and ranked 29th in the final RoadToNationals poll. Penn State fell in a regular season meet against Ohio State but topped the Buckeyes at the Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regional.
Penn State will compete at the Big Five Meet on Saturday, February 22 in Toledo. The Nittany Lions will take on Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota. The Spartans finished 41st in the nation last season, while Maryland, Michigan and Minnesota all reached at least the NCAA Regional round. Maryland competed at the Athens Regional and finished 30th in the country. Minnesota placed 13th in the nation after advancing to the final of the Baton Rouge Regional, while Michigan reached the NCAA Semifinals and ranked No. 5 in the final RoadToNationals standings.
The Nittany Lions continue their regular season home schedule on Saturday, February 29 with a quad meet against NC State, Cornell and Towson at 4 p.m. The Wolfpack competed at the Athens Regional in 2019. Penn State earned wins over all three opponents during the 2019 regular season.
Penn State concludes its home slate on Saturday, March 7 when it welcomes Florida for a 4 p.m. meet. The Nittany Lions will hold their annual Senior Day Ceremony. The Gators finished No. 10 in the country last season after advancing to the final of the Corvallis Regional.
The blue and white wraps up the regular season at Arkansas on Friday, March 13 for an 8 p.m. contest. The Razorbacks reached the Baton Rouge Regional and ranked 18th to end the season.
Penn State will compete at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 21 in Columbus, hosted by Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions will then host an NCAA Regional on April 2-4 in Rec Hall. Penn State last hosted an NCAA Regional in 2018. However, a new format, installed in 2019, has expanded the regional to a three day event. Day one (Thursday, April 2) will feature a dual-meet between the two lowest ranked teams with the winner advancing to a quad meet on Friday. Day two will include two quad meets with the top two teams from each advancing to Saturday's regional final quad meet.
"It's always an honor to be chosen as a regional host and we're excited about the second year of this new format," said Brown. "The staff at Rec Hall and everyone involved in our home meet preparations are at the top of their field, so I know this will be an outstanding event. We hope to see everyone in Rec Hall throughout the entire season!"
Penn State finished the 2019 season with a 10-9 dual record. The Nittany Lions earned a No. 24 national ranking, its highest since 2015. The Nittany Lions placed third at the NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor. Penn State returns 12 members from the 2019 squad including sophomore Jessie Bastardi, an NCAA Championships qualifier on beam, and junior Lauren Bridgens, a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
