UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior Isabella Salcedo and freshman Kalea McElligott were named Penn State's gymnasts to watch for the 2024 season, as announced by the Big Ten on Wednesday afternoon.
With a pair of 9.95 career-best scores on beam and floor, Salcedo enters her junior year as one of Penn State's top scorers on both events. Her 9.95 on beam at Auburn was Penn State's best beam performance of the 2023 campaign and helped her team set the third-best total beam score in school history. Salcedo returns for her third season with the Nittany Lions with two years of NCAA Regional competition experience.
McElligott, one of just three freshmen nominated by members of the Big Ten conference as gymnasts to watch this season, enters her first season in Happy Valley as a former four-star recruit (collegegymnews) and a multiple-time level 10 national competitor. McElligott will look to make an immediate impact on a Nittany Lion squad that finished ranked 25th in the nation last season.
2024 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Nittany Lions enter the season just outside the top-25 in the WCGA Coaches Poll. Penn State returns a pair of NCAA Championship individual competitors, including Cassidy Rushlow and All-American Ava Piedrahita.
Penn State set multiple program records during NCAA regional competition last season and has its sights set on the national scene once again this year with the additions of freshmen McElligott, Alyssa Kramer, and Ashley Maul.
A trip to Philadelphia for the annual Keystone Classic will begin Penn State's 2024 season, with its first home meet set for January 12.
FULL 2024 SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
Friday, Jan. 5 at Penn (Keystone Classic) Philadelphia, Pa. 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 12 IOWA STATE University Park, Pa. 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 19 MICHIGAN STATE University Park, Pa. 6 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 25 at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 6 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 3 MINNESOTA University Park, Pa. 2 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 9 at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio TBD
Saturday, Feb. 17 at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 24 BIG FIVES (Session 2) University Park, Pa. 4:30 p.m.
Friday, March 1 BALL STATE, TOWSON, WVU University Park, Pa. 6 p.m.
Friday, March 8 at Southern Utah Cedar City, Utah TBA
Sunday, March 10 at NC State with Penn, TWU Raleigh, N.C. TBA
Sunday, March 17 at GW with Towson Washington, D.C. 1 p.m.
Saturday, March 23 Big Ten Championships East Lansing, Mich. TBA
Apr. 3-7 NCAA Regionals TBA TBA
Apr. 18-20 NCAA Championships Fort Worth, Texas TBA
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
