ANAHEIM, Calif. – The No. 25 Penn State women's gymnastics team is set to open the 2020 season at the Collegiate Challenge on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will compete against No. 21 Arizona State, No. 13 Auburn and No. 7 Denver at 4 p.m. ET in the Anaheim Convention Center. The meet will be broadcast on FloGymnastics.com.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, are looking for a strong start to the season after going 10-9 in 2019. Penn State finished the year ranked 24th in RoadToNationals rankings, it's highest finish since 2015. The Nittany Lions competed in the NCAA Regional in Ann Arbor, where sophomore Jessie Bastardi qualified for the NCAA Championships on beam. Penn State returns 11 members from the 2019 squad, including Bastardi and first-team All-Big Ten honoree Lauren Bridgens.
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.
SCOUTING THE COLLEGIATE CHALLENGE
The Collegiate Challenge features some of the top teams in the nation, with all eight teams competing in 2019 NCAA Regionals. The Nittany Lions are competing in Session I against Arizona State, Auburn and Denver.
No. 7 Denver finished fourth at the 2019 NCAA Championships after winning the Corvallis Regional. No. 13 Auburn reached the final of the Baton Rouge Regional. No. 21 Arizona State also participated in the Baton Rouge Regional.
The second session features defending national champion Oklahoma, No. 4 UCLA, No. 9 Cal and No. 22 Stanford.
2019 SEASON RECAP
The Nittany Lions went 10-9 in dual meets and finished 24th in the RoadToNationals rankings. The Blue and White earned wins over No. 32 Temple, No. 34 Illinois, No. 32 Maryland, No. 21 Arizona State, No. 27 NC State and No. 22 Ohio State.
Penn State placed third in Session I of the Ann Arbor NCAA Regional. Jessie Bastardi placed first in the session and third in the regional on beam to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Sabrina Garcia also qualified on bars after tying for the top score in the meet and placing fourth in the regional.
Lauren Bridgens was named first-team All-Big Ten, while Garcia claimed second team honors.
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. Home meet opponents include: No. 30 West Virginia, No. 29 Iowa, No. 28 NC State and No. 3 Florida.
On the road, PSU will battle No. 21 Arizona State, No. 13 Auburn, No. 7 Denver, No. 15 Nebraska, No. 27 Illinois, No. 24 Ohio State, No. 33 Maryland, No. 6 Michigan, No. 14 Minnesota and No. 19 Arkansas.
PSU will have two ranked 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 Jessie Bastardi