UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team had two athletes named as Big Ten Gymnasts To Watch on Thursday. Junior Lauren Bridgens and freshman Cassidy Rushlow were recognized by the conference.
The Nittany Lions, ranked No. 25 in the WCGA Preseason Poll, were selected seventh in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's coaches. Michigan was projected to win the conference, followed by Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Iowa and Illinois. Rounding out the poll, after Penn State, was Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers.
Penn State, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, finished the 2019 season with a 10-9 dual record, including victories over No. 32 Temple, No. 34 Illinois, No. 32 Maryland, No. 21 Arizona State, No. 27 NC State and No. 22 Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions placed third in the Session I meet of the NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor and finished the season ranked 24th in the RoadToNationals standings.
Bridgens, a 2018 NCAA Championship qualifier, returns after earning first-team All-Big Ten honors for the second straight year. She is one of 15 Nittany Lions to earn multiple first-team All-Big Ten nods in their career. In 2019, Bridgens ranked 33rd in the nation and eighth in the Big Ten with a 9.900 Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) on bars. She also held 27th in the country and fifth in the conference with a 39.370 RQS in all-around. Bridgens won three event titles in all-around, three on bars and one on vault. She set career high scores in all-around (39.525 vs. Minnesota), beam (9.900 vs. Florida) and floor (9.875 in the Big Ten Championships). She also had five scores of 9.900 or better on bars.
Rushlow signed with the Nittany Lions after competing for Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics in Massachusetts. In 2019, at the Regional Championships, Rushlow won the all-around, vault, bars and floor events, while placing second on beam. At the 2019 Massachusetts State Championships, Rushlow claimed the all-around, vault and beam titles, while finishing third on bars and fourth on floor.
Bridgens is one of 11 returners from the 2019 squad. Joining Rushlow as newcomers to the program are Amy Bladon and Bella Romagnano.
The Nittany Lions are set to open a challenging 2020 slate on Saturday, January 4 at the California Grand Invitational in Anaheim. The invitational is loaded with the top teams in the nation. Penn State will compete in the 4 p.m. ET session against No. 21 Arizona State, No. 13 Auburn and No. 7 Denver.
Penn State opens its home schedule the following Saturday, January 11, when it welcomes No. 30 West Virginia at 4 p.m.
The Nittany Lions' home slate features three meets with ranked opponents. Penn State hosts No. 29 Iowa on January 25 at 4 p.m. on Big Ten Network. PSU will face No. 28 NC State as part of a quad meet on February 29 at 4 p.m. Penn State concludes its home schedule against No. 3 Florida on March 7 at 4 p.m. The Nittany Lions will also welcome Rutgers on January 31 at 7 p.m. The Scarlet Knights received 35 votes in the WCGA Preseason Poll.
Penn State is set to 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.
Season tickets are now available. Season tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for youth (ages 12 and younger). Single-meet tickets are also available for $8 for adults and $5 for youth. For more info, please visit here, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m-4:30 p.m.
Junior Lauren Bridgens