UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 17 Penn State women's gymnastics team is set to welcome West Virginia for its home opener on Saturday at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions will battle the Mountaineers at 4 p.m. with a broadcast on BTN Plus.
Penn State, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, began its 56th season last Saturday at the Collegiate Challenge in Anaheim, Calif. Penn State tallied a 193.500 to finish fourth in the Session I meet.
Junior Lauren Bridgens placed third in the all-around with a 39.025, her 17th career all-around score above a 39.000. Bridgens also earned fifth on floor and ninth on bars. Fellow junior Alissa Bonsall secured fourth on bars, with a 9.875, while freshman Cassidy Rushlow claimed fifth on beam, with a 9.825, and competed in her first collegiate all-around.
West Virginia will be making its season debut. In 2019, the Mountaineers competed at the NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor, along with Penn State, and finished 27th in the RoadToNationals standings.
Follow along with the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
SEASON AND SINGLE-MEET TICKETS 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.
PARKING INFO
Due to construction on the new West Campus Parking Deck, Red A lot spaces are limited. Fans are encouraged to park in the Nittany Parking Deck, which is free from 1.5 hours before the meet until 1.5 hours after the meet. For more details, please visit here.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
West Virginia is led by Head Coach Jason Butts in his ninth season. The Mountaineers went 19-9 in dual meets in 2019.
The Nittany Lions fell 196.425-195.525 to the Mountaineers at the 2019 WVU Quad Meet. West Virginia advanced to the Ann Arbor NCAA Regional, placing fourth in their session with a 195.425. The Mountaineers finished the 2019 season ranked 27th in the RoadToNationals standings.
Senior Abby Kaufman returns after ranking 41st in the nation in all-around last year with a 38.375 average.
COLLEGIATE CHALLENGE RECAP
The Nittany Lions recorded a 193.500 to finish fourth in their Session I meet. No. 7 Denver won the meet with a 196.700 followed by No. 21 Arizona State (194.675) and No. 13 Auburn (194.375). Junior Lauren Bridgens secured a third-place finish in all-around with a 39.025.
Penn State earned a solid 48.850 on bars, led by junior Alissa Bonsall's 9.875, good for fourth, and Bridgens' 9.800, good for ninth. The Nittany Lions notched a 48.750 on beam, paced by freshman Cassidy Rushlow's 9.825.
The blue and white tallied a 48.250 on vault, led by junior Kourtney Chinnery's 9.725, and a 47.650 on floor, led by Bridgens' 9.825.
BONSALL EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Junior Alissa Bonsall's solid performance on three events led to her being named Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week. Bonsall earned her first career Big Ten weekly award. She is PSU's first Big Ten Event Specialist of the Week since Kassidy Stauder on January 6, 2014.
After the first weekend, Bonsall leads the Big Ten on bars (9.875) and ranks 12th in the country. She also recorded a 9.725 on floor and a 9.675 on vault.
NATIONALLY RANKED NITS
As a team, Penn State ranks ninth in the country, and second in the Big Ten, on bars. The Nittany Lions sit 11th in the country on beam, good for third in the Big Ten.
After the first weekend, Bonsall leads the Big Ten on bars (9.875) and ranks 12th in the country. Bridgens' 39.025 in all-around ranks 18th in the country and third in the Big Ten. She also holds fourth in the conference on bars (9.800), fifth on floor (9.825) and 10th on beam (9.750). Rushlow ranks fifth in the Big Ten on beam (9.825).
B1G GYMNASTS TO WATCH
Junior Lauren Bridgens and freshman Cassidy Rushlow were named Big Ten Gymnasts To Watch.
Bridgens is one of 15 Nittany Lions to earn multiple first-team All-Big Ten nods in their career. She set career highs in 2019 in all-around (39.525), beam (9.900) and floor (9.875).
Rushlow signed with the Nittany Lions after competing for Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics in Massachusetts. At the 2019 Massachusetts State Championships, she claimed the all-around, vault and beam titles.
BROWN BEGINS THIRD SEASON
Head Coach Sarah Brown enters her third year leading the Nittany Lions. In 2019, Brown led PSU to a 10-9 record and a No. 24 ranking, its highest finish since 2015. Penn State placed fifth at the Big Ten Championships and third in Session I of the NCAA Regional.
The Nittany Lions went 11-8 in Brown's first season in 2018.
Ashleigh Gnat joined the PSU coaching staff in July 19 after spending two seasons as a Graduate Assistant at LSU. As an athlete, Gnat was a 17-time All-American and won the 2017 National Title on floor.
#FORTHEROAR
The Nittany Lions return 11 members from the 2019 squad. The returners include 2019 NCAA beam qualifier sophomore Jessie Bastardi and 2018 NCAA qualifier junior Lauren Bridgens. The returning 11 athletes have combined for 32 career event titles, led by Bridgens' 21.
Senior Erynne Allen, junior Alissa Bonsall and senior Tess McCracken were named team captains.
PSU welcomed freshmen Amy Bladon, Bella Romagnano and Cassidy Rushlow.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
No. 25 Penn State will take on a challenging 2020 schedule. The Nittany Lions took on No. 21 Arizona State, No. 13 Auburn and No. 7 Denver at the Collegiate Challenge.
Home meet opponents include: West Virginia, No. 19 Iowa, Rutgers, NC State and Florida. West Virginia, Rutgers, NC State and Florida have yet to compete this season. In the WCGA Preseason Poll, the Mountaineers were ranked 30th, NC State was ranked 28th and the Gators were ranked third. Rutgers received votes in the preseason poll.
On the road, PSU will battle Nebraska, No. 6 Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, No. 20 Michigan State, Minnesota and Arkansas. Nebraska, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Arkansas have yet to compete this year. In the WCGA Preseason Poll, Nebraska ranked 15th, Ohio State was 24th, Maryland was 33rd, Michigan was sixth, Minnesota was 14th and Arkansas was 19th.
PSU will two matchups on national TV. PSU faces Nebraska on January 16 on ESPN2 and Iowa on January 25 on Big Ten Network.
PENN STATE HOSTING NCAA REGIONAL
The Nittany Lions are set to host an NCAA Regional on April 2-4 in Rec Hall. Penn State last hosted an NCAA Regional in 2018.
In a new format, installed in 2019, the regional has expanded 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.
Sophomore Melissa Astarita