UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 29 Penn State women's gymnastics team is ready for a big competition on Saturday at the Big Five Meet in Toledo. The Nittany Lions will match up against No. 24 Maryland, No. 9 Michigan, No. 31 Michigan State and No. 7 Minnesota at 7 p.m. The meet will be broadcast on FloGymnastics.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, collected a 195.150 last weekend at No. 26 Ohio State, but fell in a close meet (195.350). Lauren Bridgens won the all-around title for the fourth straight meet, collecting a 39.150. Kourtney Chinnery won her first vault title of the season with a season-best 9.825. Bridgens had PSU's top score on floor and tied for the squad's top score on bars with Cassidy Rushlow. The freshman led the Nittany Lions on beam.
Maryland (195.750), Michigan (196.800), Michigan State (196.150) and Minnesota (197.400) all won Big Ten meets last weekend.
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 BIG FIVE OPPONENTS
Maryland is ranked 24th in the nation, averaging a 195.388. The Terrapins rank 20th on vault, 22nd on bars, 40th on beam and 28 on floor. Audrey Barber ranks 16th in all-around (39.350 average) and 10th on bars (9.900). Alexis Rubio sits 41st on vault (9.846).
Michigan is ranked No. 9 in the RoadToNationals standings, averaging a 196.813. The Wolverines hold second in the nation on vault, seventh on bars, 12th on beam and eighth on floor. Sierra Brooks ranks 18th in all-around (39.325), 18th on vault (9.875) and 44th on beam (9.846). Natalie Wojcik sits 29th in all-around (39.265) and 33rd on floor (9.879). Abby Brenner holds 34th on vault (9.850) and 31st on bars (9.856).
Michigan State is tied 31st in the RoadToNationals rankings, averaging a 195.171. The Spartans are 31st on vault, 43rd on bars, 15th on beam and 19th on floor. Lea Mitchell ranks 30th in the nation in all-around (39.264) and 37th on floor (9.875). Gabriella Douglas sits 37th on beam (9.854).
Minnesota ranks seventh in the nation, averaging a 196.879. The Gophers sit 11th on vault, 10th on bars, second on beam and 20th on floor. Ona Loper ranks 12th in all-around (39.450), 22nd on vault (9.871), 35th on beam (9.858) and 26th on floor (9.887). Tiarre Sales holds 17th in all-around (39.337) and seventh on beam (9.904). Lexy Ramler sits 23rd in all-around (39.296), 34th on vault (9.850), sixth on bars (9.904) and 39th on beam (9.850). Ivy Lu ranks 33rd on bars (9.854) and 20th on beam (9.879).
OHIO STATE MEET RECAP
Penn State totaled a 195.150, but fell in a tight meet at Ohio State (195.350). The Nittany Lions tallied a 48.850 on vault, 48.775 on bars, 48.850 on beam and 48.675 on floor.
Lauren Bridgens captured her fourth straight all-around title with a 39.150. It was her 10th career all-around title. Bridgens led the Nittany Lions on floor with a 9.850 and tied for the team-high on bars with Cassidy Rushlow (9.825). Rushlow had PSU's top performance on beam, collecting a 9.800.
Kourtney Chinnery earned her first vault title of the season, and second of her career, recording a season-high 9.825. Erynne Allen registered a career-high 9.800 on vault.
BRIDGENS LEADING ON FLOOR
The Nittany Lions have seen significant improvement through the season on floor, led by Lauren Bridgens. The junior won four straight floor titles before the Ohio State meet. 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 44th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten with a 9.871 average. She also ranks 35th nationally in all-around (39.193).
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.
SETTING THE BAR
The Nittany Lions have enjoyed a solid start to the season on bars, averaging a 49.046, 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 42nd in the nation and fifth in the Big Ten on bars, averaging a 9.843. She has PSU's highest bars score in four meets and has two event titles. Alissa Bonsall 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 had PSU's highest beam score against Ohio State with a 9.800. She sits 58th in the nation and 11th in the Big Ten with a 9.821 average on beam.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
No. 29 Penn State is mid-way through a challenging 2020 schedule. The Nittany Lions already 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, No. 25 Illinois and No. 26 Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions are still set to face No. 30 NC State, Cornell, Towson and No. 2 Florida at home and No. 24 Maryland, No. 9 Michigan, No. 31 Michigan State, No. 7 Minnesota and No. 14 Arkansas on the road.
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.
Sophomore Jessie Bastardi