ANAHEIM, Calif. – The No. 25 Penn State women's gymnastics team tallied a 193.500 in its season opener on Saturday at the Collegiate Challenge in the Anaheim Convention Center. The Nittany Lions finished fourth in the Session I meet behind No. 7 Denver (196.700), No. 21 Arizona State (194.675) and No. 13 Auburn (194.375).
Junior Lauren Bridgens led the Nittany Lions, finishing third overall in all-around with a 39.025 and placing fifth on floor and ninth on bars. Fellow junior Alissa Bonsall claimed fourth on bars, while freshman Cassidy Rushlow secured fifth on beam.
"This is a huge meet and I think it was a really good experience for our athletes to be in an environment like this," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "We knew there's going to be mistakes and nerves for the first meet, and the score might not seem great, but there's so many intangibles with this group that show growth and fight. I'm proud of the way they continued to fight. We're happy to have the season started and know where our next steps are in training. It was a great experience to compete on a podium in an arena like this."
Penn State's top event score came on bars with a 48.850, placing second in the meet. Bonsall led the blue and white with a 9.875, finishing fourth in the meet. Bridgens contributed a 9.800 to place ninth overall. Senior Tess McCracken followed with a 9.750, while junior Kourtney Chinnery notched a 9.725. Junior Ava Verdeflor registered a 9.700 and Rushlow had a 9.075 in the Nittany Lions' third rotation.
Denver finished with the meet's top score on bars with a 49.275, followed by Arizona State's 48.525 and Auburn's 48.400. Denver's Lynnzee Brown led all competitors with a 9.925.
In the Nittany Lions' final rotation, the squad earned a 48.750 on beam, finishing second in the meet. Rushlow earned a team-high 9.825 to place fifth overall. Verdeflor secured a 9.775 on beam, while Bridgens and McCracken each recorded a 9.750. Sophomore Jessie Bastardi posted a 9.650 and freshman Bella Romagnano registered a 9.150.
Denver secured the meet's top score on beam with a 49.425. Arizona State recorded a 48.675 and Auburn had a 48.650. The Pioneers' Alexis Vasquez tallied a perfect 10.000 to win the event.
Penn State started the meet on floor with a 47.650. Bridgens led the Nittany Lions with a 9.825 to secure fifth in the event. Bonsall followed with a 9.725. Sophomore Melissa Astarita and McCracken each collected a 9.675. Junior Erynne Allen recorded an 8.750 and Rushlow posted an 8.550.
The Pioneers controlled the floor event with a 49.150. The Sun Devils totaled a 48.575, while Auburn collected a 48.400. Denver's Brown also won the floor title with a 9.950.
In the second rotation, Penn State competed on vault, claiming a 48.250. Chinnery paced the blue and white with a 9.725. Bonsall notched a 9.675, while Bridgens collected a 9.650. Bastardi and Rushlow, both making their career debuts on vault, each registered a 9.600. Allen had a 9.550 in her vault debut.
Auburn won the event title on vault with a 48.925. Arizona State was right behind with a 48.900 and Denver posted a 48.850. The Tigers' Derrian Gobourne and Drew Watson tied for the vault title with a 9.900.
In all-around, Bridgens secured third-place with a 39.025, her 17th career all-around total of 39.000 or better. Rushlow tallied a 37.050 in the all-around. Denver's Brown claimed the all-around title with a 39.575.
"We had a bunch of new faces in the lineup," said Brown. "Erynne and Jessie made their debut on vault, Cassidy competed in her first all-around and Bella competed on beam. It's huge that they were ready and we know we can trust them. Cassidy had some bumps but finished strong on beam. I was also proud of Alissa for her strong day and Lauren for another solid day."
The Nittany Lions open their home schedule next Saturday, January 11, against No. 30 West Virginia. The meet is set to begin at 4 p.m. at Rec Hall with a broadcast on BTN Plus.
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.
Follow along with the season on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
Junior Lauren Bridgens