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PSU Athletics/Selders

Home Opener Against Iowa State set for Women’s Gymnastics

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten) will host No. 21 Iowa State (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) at Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m.
 
The Nittany Lions host their first home meet of the season coming off wins over all three teams at the Keystone Classic. Penn State totaled a team score of 194.725 against Penn, Pitt, and Temple.
 
Isabella Salcedo helped the Nittany Lions secure the win as she earned two event titles. Her scores of 9.9 on beam and 9.85 on floor beat the competition earning her a pair of event crowns. Ava Piedrahita also won two event titles in the all-around and on vault (9.875). Maddie Johnston started the season strong with her 9.8 performance on bars, 9.75 on beam, and 9.8 on vault.
 
The Cyclones travel to University Park as the No. 21 team in the country, with vault and floor ranked in the top 15 according to the RoadToNationals rankings. Penn State last competed against Iowa State in 2015 and owns a 5-1 all-time record against the Cyclones.
 
TUNE IN LIVE
 
Live Results | B1G+ Live Stream
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
Penn State starts the season 3-0 at the Keystone Classic and came away from the opening weekend of competition with two events ranked inside the top 25 in the nation.
 
VAULT – No. 23
 
Piedrahita started the season strong with a 9.875. Johnston earned a 9.825, Salcedo received a 9.8, and Elina Vihrova and Kalea McElligott both scored a 9.75. Overall, the Nittany Lions earned a 49.000 total score, their highest vault total at a season opener since 2013.
 
BARS – No. 34
 
Johnston led Penn State on bars, collecting a score of 9.8 while Jessica Johanson scored a 9.775 as the Nittany Lions posted a 48.175 total.
 
BALANCE BEAM – No. 16
 
Salcedo earned the event title with a score of 9.9 in an outstanding first beam routine of 2024. Piedrahita earned a 9.825, Herring scored a 9.8, and Johnston received a 9.75. The Nittany Lions finished with a total score of 48.850.
 
Nationally, Salcedo is tied for tenth with her 9.9 beam score in the first weekend of competition, a total that also ties her for second in the Big Ten on the apparatus.
 
FLOOR – No. 29
 
Salcedo won another event title with a score of 9.85 on floor. McElligot earned a 9.8 and Vihrova scored a 9.75 as the team scored 48.700.
 
All-Around
 
Piedrahita was the only team member to compete in the all-around for this meet. She finished with a score of 39.000 in an event-winning effort.
 
PROMOTIONS – KIDS NIGHT
 

  • Face painting
  • Sign making
  • Kid-friendly gymnastics zone
  • Glow stick giveaway
  • Post-meet autograph session with Penn State gymnasts!

 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
 

  • Admission is free for all Penn State women's gymnastics home events, unless otherwise noted.
  • 5 p.m. – Doors open.
  • 5:45 p.m. – March in begins.
  • 6 p.m. – Competition begins!

 
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Sarah Brown


Junior Isabella Salcedo


WHAT'S NEXT
 
The Nittany Lions will host the Michigan State Spartans at Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. for their Big Ten opener.
 
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
 
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).