UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Nine members of the Penn State Women's Gymnastics were selected as WCGA Academic All-Americans on Tuesday. The nine members helped the Nittany Lions to achieve a 3.5879 team GPA for the 2019-20 academic year.
Senior Erynne Allen, sophomore Melissa Astarita, junior Alissa Bonsall, junior Lauren Bridgens, junior Kourtney Chinnery, senior Tess McCracken, senior Kristen Politz, freshman Bella Romagnano and junior Ava Verdeflor were all recognized for earning a 3.5 or above GPA in 2019-20.
"In a time when so much is uncertain and our athletes are dealing with the challenges of taking classes virtually, while away from campus, I continue to be so impressed by the dedication, commitment and expectation of academic excellence on our team," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "I couldn't be more proud of the work our athletes did in the classroom this year and I'm so thankful for our dedicated staff in the Morgan Academic Center. These women deserve to be recognized for their achievement and I'm delighted to see the academic outcome of the 2019-2020 season."
The WCGA Academic All-American honors capped a very strong academic year for the Nittany Lions. Penn State garnered 10 Academic All-Big Ten selections, for having a cumulative GPA above a 3.0, and six Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, for having a 3.5 or better cumulative GPA.
Penn State finished the Spring semester with a 3.79 team GPA, its ninth straight semester with a team GPA above a 3.0. The Nittany Lions had 10 athletes make the Dean's List for the Spring semester. Thirteen Nittany Lions earned a 3.0 GPA or better for the 2019-20 academic year, including five perfect 4.0 GPAs. The Nittany Lions currently hold a cumulative team GPA of 3.56.
The Nittany Lions ended the season ranked 30th in the RoadToNationals standings. Penn State earned eight dual-meet wins, including four victories over ranked opponents. The Nittany Lions notched five scores above a 196.000, its most since 2015. The Nittany Lions averaged a 196.230 in five home meets, its highest at Rec Hall since 2015.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
