UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. –. The No. 32 ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team is set to compete at the Big Ten Championship on Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network and streamed on the Fox Sports app.
Penn State is coming off a 195.325 score in their dual meet against Rutgers last weekend.
Three Nittany Lions claimed event victories in the meet, as Alissa Bonsall won on floor, Ava Verdeflor won on bars and Cassidy Rushlow won on beam and the all-around.
The team set its season high on vault, recording a score of 48.975.
The Nittany Lions are scheduled to compete in the first of two sessions on the day along with Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio State and Rutgers.
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).
HOW TO FOLLOW | Championship Central
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: Fox Sports
Live Results
SERIES HISTORY
Penn State will aim to win its first Big Ten crown this weekend. The Nittany Lions placed fifth at the last Big Ten Championship in 2019. The 2020 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
The Nittany Lions claimed several yearly awards from the Big Ten this week. The conference announced on Tuesday that Cassidy Rushlow was named First Team All-Big Ten and Alissa Bonsall and Ava Verdeflor were named Second Team All-Big Ten. In addition, senior Lauren Bridgens was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The success carried into the classroom as well, as 11 members of the Penn State squad were named Academic All-Big Ten.
NATIONAL NITS
Cassidy Rushlow ranks 31st in the nation on all-around and 38th on bars.
Ava Verdeflor and Alissa Bonsall rank 31st and 38th respectively on bars.
As a team, Penn State ranks 18th on bars.
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.