UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 23 Penn State women's gymnastics team is set to host its annual quad meet on Saturday. The Nittany Lions will welcome No. 27 NC State, Cornell and Towson to Rec Hall. The meet is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. with a live stream on BTN Plus.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, are coming off a strong performance at the Big Five Meet in Toledo. Penn State tallied a 196.125 to place third in the Saturday session, finishing in front of No. 24 Maryland and No. 31 Michigan State.
Penn State set a season-high with a 49.300 on vault. Alissa Bonsall and Cassidy Rushlow led the squad with 9.900's, two of four career-highs on vault. Rushlow also had PSU's top score on beam (9.825). Lauren Bridgens collected PSU's top bars score (9.925) and tied with Melissa Astarita for the top score on floor (9.900).
NC State registered a 196.025 last weekend in a quad meet at George Washington. Cornell had a 192.975 at the Ivy League Classic and Towson had a 193.425 in a quad meet.
Follow along with the action on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
ALUMNI WEEKEND
The Nittany Lions will welcome back and celebrate over 40 alumni from across five decades. The celebration will include a special recognition for the 1978 team, which won Penn State's first women's sport National Championship (AIAW).
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.
SINGLE-MEET TICKETS AVAILABLE
The Nittany Lions have two home meets remaining. Penn State hosts a quad meet on Saturday, February 29 at 4 p.m. and No. 2 Florida on Saturday, March 7 at 4 p.m. Single-meet tickets are 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 QUAD MEET OPPONENTS
NC State, coached by Kim Landrus, is ranked 27th in the RoadToNationals rankings, averaging a 195.453. The Wolfpack ranks 21st in the nation on floor (49.109 average), 23rd on bars (48.778) and 27th on beam (48.834). NC State averages a 48.731 on vault.
Lauren Kent ranks 40th in the country in all-around, averaging a 38.897, and 71st on bars, averaging a 9.747. Drew Grantham sits 47th in all-around (38.804), 23rd on floor (9.891) and 63rd on beam (9.772). Emily Shepard leads NC State on vault (9.844).
Cornell, led by Head Coach Paul Beckwith, ranks 64th in the RoadToNationals standings with a 189.789 average. The Big Red averages a 47.500 on vault, 46.093 on bars, 47.932 on beam and 48.264 on floor.
Cornell is led by Amy Krueger on vault (9.561 average), Amy Shen on bars (9.400), Miranda Lund on beam (9.721) and Maddison Smith on floor (9.771).
Towson, coached by Jay Ramirez, sits 50th in the nation with a 193.496 average. The Tigers average a 48.607 on vault, 48.254 on bars, 48.214 on beam and 48.421 on floor.
Ally Wesoly has Towson's top averages on vault (9.721) and bars (9.750). Emerson Hurst leads on beam (9.750) and Paige Casper leads on floor (9.736).
BIG FIVE MEET RECAP
Penn State earned a 196.125 at the Big Five Meet in Toledo, its highest at the Big Five competition since 2016 (197.125). The Nittany Lions finished third in the meet, above No. 24 Maryland (195.975) and No. 31 Michigan State (195.325) and behind No. 9 Michigan (197.950) and No. 7 Minnesota (196.650).
Penn State started the night with a season-high 49.300 on vault, its highest vault score since the 2018 PSU Quad Meet vs. Pitt, Temple and West Virginia. Alissa Bonsall (9.900), Cassidy Rushlow (9.900), Kourtney Chinnery (9.875) and Amy Bladon (9.750) all established career highs on vault, while Lauren Bridgens tied her season high (9.850).
PSU tallied a 49.250 on bars, led by Bridgens' season-best 9.925. The Nittany Lions also recorded a 49.250 on floor, paced by Bridgens and Melissa Astarita's 9.900 scores. Rushlow had PSU's top beam score, with a 9.825, and set a career-high in all-around with a 39.300.
BRIDGENS LEADING ON FLOOR
The Nittany Lions have seen significant improvement through the season on floor, led by Lauren Bridgens. PSU has three scores above a 49.000 this season.
The junior won four straight floor titles, beginning at Nebraska with a 9.925. She set a career high against Iowa (9.950), won against Rutgers (9.875) and claimed the title at Illinois (9.850). Bridgens currently ranks 39th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten with a 9.880 national qualifying score (NQS). She also ranks 22nd 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.
SETTING THE BAR
The Nittany Lions have enjoyed a solid start to the season on bars, with a 49.130 NQS, good for 15th in the country.
Penn State has four scores above a 49.175 this season, including a 49.300 against West Virginia, a 49.275 against Rutgers and a 49.250 at the Big Five Meet. PSU earned the top six places in the meet against Rutgers.
Bridgens ranks 40th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten on bars, with a 9.855 NQS. She has PSU's highest bars score in five meets and has two event titles. Alissa Bonsall has PSU's highest score in four meets, including two event titles, ranking 51st in the country with a 9.845 NQS.
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN
Cassidy Rushlow has already made a strong impact as a freshman. She has led PSU on beam six times, twice on vault, twice on bars and twice in all-around.
Rushlow had a career-high 39.300 in all-around at the Big Five Meet, earned PSU's highest score on beam (9.875) and tied for the team-high on vault with a career-high 9.900.
The Massachusetts native has one event title each on vault, bars, beam and all-around. She sits 29th in the nation and 10th in the Big Ten with a 39.130 NQS in all-around. She holds 41st in the country and ninth in the Big Ten on beam with a 9.855 NQS.
CHALLENGING SCHEDULE
No. 23 Penn State is in the final weeks of 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, No. 26 Ohio State, No. 24 Maryland, No. 9 Michigan, No. 31 Michigan State and No. 7 Minnesota.
The Nittany Lions are still set to face No. 27 NC State, Cornell, Towson and No. 2 Florida at home and No. 14 Arkansas on the road.
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.
Senior Erynne Allen