UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 28 Penn State women's gymnastics team is set to battle No. 26 Ohio State on Friday evening in Columbus. The Big Ten foes will begin the first rotation at 6 p.m. The meet will be broadcast on BTN Plus.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, tallied a 195.425 at Illinois, but fell to the Illini (195.725). Penn State set a season high on vault for the second straight week, earning a 48.875.
Lauren Bridgens claimed the all-around title with a 39.275. She also tied for the bars and floor titles, while earning a season-high 9.875 on beam. Alissa Bonsall and Cassidy Rushlow shared the vault title, while Tess McCracken matched Bridgens for the bars title.
No. 26 Ohio State, coached by Meredith Paulicivic, recorded a 195.900 at No. 8 Michigan, falling to the Wolverines (197.350).
Follow along with the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
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.
NCAA Regional tickets are now available. Fans can purchase All-Session Tickets, good for all three days, are $32 for adults, $20 for youth (ages 12 or younger) and $20 for students. Tickets are available at either of the two remaining home meets. Tickets can also be purchased by calling 1-800-NITTANY, visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office or visiting here. For more info on the regional, visit here.
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 BUCKEYES
Ohio State is coached by Meredith Paulicivic, in her third season. Last Sunday, the Buckeyes recorded a 195.900 at No. 8 Michigan, but fell to the Wolverines' 197.350. Claire Gagliardi recorded a 9.925 on floor, while Ella Hodges had a 9.925 on beam. Olivia Aepli collected a 9.900 on floor and led the squad with a 9.825 on vault. Colby Miller and Jenna Swartzentruber tied for the team high on bars with a 9.850.
Ohio State ranks 26th in the RoadToNationals standings, averaging a 195.260. The Buckeyes sit 12th in the nation on bars (49.130) average, 24th on vault (48.895), 27th on floor (48.945) and 45th on beam (48.290). Gagliardi ranks 14th in the nation on floor, averaging a 9.900. Nevin Adamski is 72nd in the country on floor (9.850).
On vault, Aepli holds 46th in the country (9.840), while Sydney Jennings is 70th (9.815). Swartzentruber is 71st on bars with a 9.825 average. Danica Abanto has OSU's top average on beam, a 9.750.
ILLINOIS MEET RECAP
Penn State tallied a 195.425 in a tight loss at Illinois (195.725) that came down to the final routines. The Nittany Lions set a season high with a 48.875 on vault.
Alissa Bonsall and Cassidy Rushlow tied for the event title with a 9.825, tying a career high for Bonsall and setting a career high for Rushlow. Kourtney Chinnery tied a season high (9.800).
Lauren Bridgens won the all-around title with a 39.275. She also captured the floor title, with a 9.850, and tied with Tess McCracken for the bars title with a 9.825. Bridgens set a season high on beam (9.875), while Bella Romagnano earned a career-high 9.800.
BRIDGENS LEADING ON FLOOR
The Nittany Lions have seen significant improvement through the season on floor, led by Lauren Bridgens.
The junior has won four straight floor titles. She won at Nebraska with a 9.925, set a career high against Iowa (9.950), won against Rutgers (9.875) and claimed the title at Illinois (9.850). Bridgens currently ranks 36th in the nation and eighth in the Big Ten with a 9.875 average. She also ranks 36th nationally in all-around (39.200).
Penn State increased its floor score through each of the first three meets before a season-high 49.375 against Iowa, the Nittany Lions' best floor performance since the 2018 Big Ten Championships.
Against Rutgers, Bridgens won all-around and three events for the second time in her career. The first came against Cornell & Penn in 2018 when she won all-around, bars, beam and floor.
SETTING THE BAR
The Nittany Lions have enjoyed a solid start to the season on bars, averaging a 49.092, good for 15th in the country.
Penn State has three scores above a 49.175 this season, including a 49.300 against West Virginia and a 49.275 against Rutgers. PSU's 49.300 vs. WVU was PSU's highest bars score in a home opener since 2001. PSU earned the top six places in the meet against Rutgers.
Bridgens ranks 44th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten on bars, averaging a 9.846. She has PSU's highest bars score in three meets and has two event titles. Bonsall sits 59th in the country on bars, averaging a 9.833. She has PSU's highest score in four meets, including two event titles.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Cassidy Rushlow has already made a strong impact as a freshman. She has led PSU on beam four times, once on bars and one in all-around. Rushlow had a 9.925 on bars vs. WVU, PSU's highest score this year, and back-to-back 9.900's on beam in the last two meets. The Massachusetts native has one event title each on vault, bars, beam and all-around. She sits 51st in the nation and 11th in the Big Ten with a 9.825 average on beam.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
No. 28 Penn State is six weeks into a challenging 2020 schedule. The Nittany Lions took on No. 21 Arizona State, No. 13 Auburn and No. 7 Denver at the Collegiate Challenge, West Virginia, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 32 Iowa, Rutgers and No. 25 Illinois.
Home meet opponents include: No. 27 NC State, Cornell, Towson and No. 2 Florida. On the road, PSU will battle No. 26 Ohio State, No. 24 Maryland, No. 7 Michigan, No. 32 Michigan State, No. 8 Minnesota and No. 14 Arkansas.
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.
NITTANY LIONS ON NATIONAL STAGE
The Nittany Lions' home meet against No. 32 Iowa was their second straight national broadcast this season, featured on Big Ten Network. Penn State's matchup with Nebraska on ESPN2 was its first meet on a national network this season.
