UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Women's Gymnastics team is set to begin its 2021 season against Maryland on Sunday. The meet is set to start at 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network with Joel Godett (play-by-play) and Olivia Karas (color analyst) on the call. The broadcast can also be seen on FoxSportsGo.com or the Fox Sports Go app.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, enters the 2021 season ranked No. 27 in the WCGA Preseason Poll. Penn State earned eight dual-meet wins in 2020 and finished the season ranked 30th in the RoadToNationals standings.
Maryland, coached by Brett Nelligan, is ranked 28th in the WCGA Preseason Poll. The Terrapins held a 14-8 dual-meet record in 2020.
NO PUBLIC ATTENDANCE
Under current Big Ten guidelines, public tickets will not be sold for 2021 Penn State Women's Gymnastics home meets.
Fans can follow along with the action by watching Big Ten Network, following live scoring and checking for updates on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State holds a 20-2 advantage in dual meets against Maryland. The Nittany Lions earned a 196.125-195.325 win at the Big Five meet last season.
MEET THE TERRAPINS
Maryland finished the 2020 season with 195.940 National Qualifying Score (NQS), ranking 28th in the RoadToNationals standings.
The Terrapins ranked 20th in the nation on vault in 2020 with a 49.110 NQS, 21st on bars (49.130 NQS), 26th on floor (49.170) and 39th on beam (48.880).
Sophomore Reese McClure is Maryland's leading returner on floor (9.870 NQS) and Beam (9.815 NQS). She ranked 66th in the nation on floor. Senior Sabriyaa Rouse sat 78th in the country on floor (9.865 NQS).
Junior Alexis Rubio is the Terrapins' leading returner on vault, ranking 53rd in the nation last season (9.850 NQS), while sophomore Aleka Tsiknias (9.850) is the leading returner on bars after ranking 72nd in the country. Sophomore Emma Silberman sat 53rd in the country with a 39.010 NQS in all-around.
HOME SWEET HOME
Penn State looks to continue its streak of four straight home meets with a 196.000 or better.
Penn State averaged a 196.230 in five home meets last season, its highest at Rec Hall since 2015. The Nittany Lions earned a 196.000 or better in each of the last four home meets, highlighted by a 196.575 in the PSU Quad Meet.
The Nittany Lions scored above a 49.000 on bars in four of five meets, paced by a 49.300 against West Virginia. Penn State tallied a 49.000 or better on beam in four home meets, finishing strong with a 49.325 against Florida. The blue and white also earned a 49.000 or better on floor in four meets, led by a 49.375 vs. Iowa.
BONSALL, RUSHLOW EARN B1G RECOGNITION
Senior Alissa Bonsall and sophomore Cassidy Rushlow were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch.
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 has three career scores of 9.900 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.
NEW FACES
The Nittany Lions added freshmen Maggie Ayers, Natalie Cross, Maddie Johnston, Maggie Mace and Abi Walker. They join the 12 members returning from the 2020 squad.
UP NEXT
Penn State will host No. 20 Nebraska on Saturday, January 23 at 2 p.m.
Sophomore Cassidy Rushlow