UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team (8-5, 2-3 Big Ten) will travel to Lincoln, Neb. For the annual Big Five meet where it will compete in session one against No. 23 Illinois, No. 20 Iowa, No. 21 Maryland, and No. 3 Michigan. The results of this weekend's meet will determine the final standings for the Big Ten Championships.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a tough 196.725-196.125 home loss to No. 13 Ohio State on Friday. Despite the result, Penn State finished with a season-best 49.275 on vault where each member of Penn State's lineup set or tied a season-best score.
Cassidy Rushlow posted another 9.95 on bars on Friday night, making her the first ever Nittany Lion to post three scores of 9.95-or-above on bars in the same season. Rushlow will seek to expand upon her solid campaign on the apparatus this weekend as the sixth-ranked bars athlete in the conference. The Nittany Lion senior is also fresh off a nomination for this year's AAI Award, which recognizes the most outstanding senior gymnast in the country.
Penn State is headed into its toughest test of the season so far as it is set to take on four nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents on Friday night, including a No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines squad that boasts the top-ranked floor exercise group in the nation.
TUNE IN LIVE
Live Results | Watch live on the Big Ten Network
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions own two top-30 event rankings heading into this week's meet against four nationally-ranked Big Ten foes.
VAULT – No. 32
Ava Piedrahita led the way on vault, tying her career high with a 9.925 score on the apparatus. Elina Vihrova and Jessica Johanson each posted 9.85s, with Vihrova surpassing her previous career-high of 9.825 and Johanson tying her season-best score. Freshman Amani Herring and junior Maddie Johnston tied their season-best efforts, each posting 9.8 scores. In the end, Penn State's vault squad finished with a season-high 49.275 for a fantastic start to the night.
According to the RoadToNationals NQS rankings, Piedrahita slots in at No. 37 on the vault in the NCAA No. 10 in the Big Ten.
BARS – No. 23
The Nittany Lions moved over to the uneven bars in the second rotation. Rushlow earned her third 9.95-or-above of the season on the apparatus and Vihrova carried over her momentum from the vault by tying her season-best with a score of 9.825. Piedrahita also finished with a 9.825 as the Nittany Lions led Ohio State 98.400-98.150 through the first two events. Overall, the Nittany Lions finished with a 49.175 score.
Rushlow sits at No. 39 in the NCAA and is tied at No. 6 in the Big Ten on bars in the RoadToNationals NQS rankings.
BALANCE BEAM – No. 27
Isabella Salcedo led the way for the Nittany Lions on the beam against Ohio State with a 9.875 score, which tied her career-best mark. Johnston and Herring finished with a 9.775 and 9.750 score, respectively, to round out the top-three scorers. Penn State finished with an overall score of 48.825.
FLOOR – No. 42
On the floor for the final rotation, Johanson and Herring each recorded a team-high 9.85 score. The Nittany Lions scored a 9.75, and two 9.725s to finish with a 48.900 on the event.
All-Around
Piedrahita is the only Nittany Lion this season to have competed the all-around in every meet this season. Although she battled through a fall on the floor against Ohio State, the freshman has proved throughout this season that she belongs, coming in as the 38th-ranked all-arounder in the country and 10th-best in the Big Ten.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
The Nittany Lions will return home to Rec Hall on March 3 for a double-dual with Penn State's men's gymnastics team against William & Mary. The meet will begin at 6 p.m. and will serve as Penn State's senior night.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
