UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 33 Penn State Women's Gymnastics travels to College Park, Md. on Friday to take on No. 28 Maryland. The meet is set to begin at 5 p.m. with a broadcast on Big Ten Network+.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Sarah Brown, fell 196.675-194.750 at No. 13 Minnesota last Saturday.
Freshman Maddie Johnston led the Nittany Lions on vault with a career-high 9.825 and earned a career-best 9.800 on bars. Cassidy Rushlow had PSU's top score on bars, with a 9.875, while Natalie Cross also had a career-high, scoring a 9.825. Amy Bladon paced PSU on beam, while Melissa Astarita's 9.875 topped PSU on floor with Alissa Bonsall adding a 9.850.
Maryland, coached by Brett Nelligan, is ranked 28th in the RoadToNationals standings. The Terrapins earned a 194.925-192.750 win over Rutgers last weekend.
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 20-3 advantage in dual meets against Maryland. The Nittany Lions dropped a 194.875-193.875 decision against the Terrapins in its season opener. Cassidy Rushlow won the all-around title, while Melissa Astarita captured the floor title. Natalie Cross had PSU's highest scores on vault and beam.
MEET THE TERRAPINS
Maryland sits 28th in the RoadToNationals rankings. The Terrapins are 3-1 in dual meets, averaging a 195.033 overall score.
Senior Audrey Barber ranks 27th in the country in all-around, averaging a 39.200. She also sits 12th on bars (9.892).
Sophomore Emma Silberman averages a 38.942 in all-around, good for 49th in the nation. Junior Alexsis Rubio holds 37th in the country on vault (9.842), while senior Sabriyya Rouse ranks 48th on floor (9.858). Sophomore Reese McClure holds Maryland's top average on beam, 9.792.
As a team, Maryland sits 14th in the nation on floor (49.100 average), 22nd on vault (48.892), 30th on beam (48.542) and 36th on bars (48.500).
NATIONAL NITS
Cassidy Rushlow ranks 16th in the country on bars with a 9.875 average. She also sits 46th on vault (9.833) and 38th in all-around (39.058).
Melissa Astarita is averaging a 9.892 on floor, good for 16th in the nation.
As a team, Penn State is 25th in the nation on vault, with a 48.808 average.
STRONG START ON VAULT
The Nittany Lions started off the season with a solid 48.950 on vault, their highest vault score in a season opener since 2013 vs. Denver and Lindenwood (49.100). Natalie Cross led Penn State with a 9.850, while Alissa Bonsall and Cassidy Rushlow each tallied a 9.825.
Penn State followed that performance with a 48.875 against Nebraska. Rushlow won her third career event title on vault with a 9.875. The Nittany Lions tallied a 48.600 at Minnesota, led by Maddie Johnston's career-high 9.825.
Penn State ranks 25th in the nation on vault after week three.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Nine of Penn State's 24 lineup spots were occupied by freshmen in its season opener against Maryland. Three other lineup spots earned their first score on that event as a Nittany Lion.
Natalie Cross led the group, leading Penn State on vault (9.850) and beam (9.875), placing second overall in both events, and competing on bars. Maddie Johnston earned a solid 9.825 on beam, finishing third in the meet. She also competed on vault and bars. Maggie Ayers made her Penn State debut on bars, beam and floor. Amy Bladon made her Nittany Lion debut on beam and floor, while Donna Howell made her debut on vault.
HOME SWEET HOME
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.
UP NEXT
Penn State returns to Rec Hall on Saturday, February 13 to compete against No. 20 Illinois at 4 p.m.
