UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Women's Gymnastics senior Alissa Bonsall and sophomore Cassidy Rushlow were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch for the 2021 season on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions were also tabbed sixth in the Big Ten Preseason Poll, voted by the conference coaches.
Michigan was projected to win the conference followed by Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois. Penn State was sixth in front of Maryland, Ohio State, Michigan State and Rutgers.
Bonsall won four individual event titles in 2020, including two on vault and two on bars. She earned a 9.900 on both vault and bars. She also had a season-high of 9.850 on floor. She has three career scores of 9.900 on bars. Bonsall enters the 2021 season with six career event titles, including four on bars.
Rushlow ranked 39th in the nation on all-around last season with a 39.130 NQS. She also sat 63rd on beam with a 9.855 NQS. Rushlow won five individual event titles in 2020, including one in all-around, two on vault, one on bars and one on beam. She earned two scores of 9.900 on beam, a 9.900 on vault and a 9.925 on bars. She was a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman in 2020.
The No. 27 Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, begin their 2021 season on Sunday against No. 28 Maryland. The meet will be broadcast on Big Ten Network at 5 p.m.
Under current Big Ten guidelines, public tickets will not be sold for 2021 Penn State Women's Gymnastics home meets.
Penn State ended the 2020 season ranked 30th in the RoadToNationals standings with a 195.860 NQS. The blue and white earned eight dual-meet wins, including four victories over ranked opponents.
Penn State 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. Penn State earned a 196.000 or better in each of the last four home meets of the 2020 season. The Nittany Lions ranked 21st in the nation with a 49.130 NQS on bars.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
