UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) scored a 196.625, the team's highest total in a home opener since at least 2000, as they took down the Iowa State Cyclones (196.150) in Rec Hall on Friday night.
The Nittany Lions finished their first home meet strong, earning three 9.9 individual totals in their fourth and final rotation on floor. Penn State racked up a floor total of 49.300 to pull away from the Cyclones in the last rotation of the night. The team keeps its spotless 4-0 record rolling through its first of two-straight home meets.
"I'm really proud of the way the team put together a complete meet tonight," said Head Coach Sarah Brown. "I thought from start to finish, our athletes were extremely gritty and full of positive energy. We started really strong on vault and carried that through all four events and I am super, super proud of the way that the team stuck together, worked hard, and came out with the win in Rec Hall."
Sophomore Ava Piedrahita competed in the all-around and took home the event title with a 39.475. Piedrahita's performance earned her the first Ann Carr Award handed out by the team in the 2024 season. Freshman Kalea McElligott scored career-bests on every apparatus, earning an all-around score of 39.325. As a team, the Nittany Lions took home four out of the five event crowns. In addition to Piedrahita and McElligott's fantastic nights, the majority of the Nittany Lion squad improved from their season opener as the team scored nearly two full points higher tonight than they did in Philadelphia last Friday.
ROTATION RECAP
In the first rotation on vault, the Nittany Lions scored 49.075. McElligott scored her career best, as her and Piedrahita both totaled 9.85s in the first event of the night. Maddie Johnston and Isabella Salcedo both posted 9.8s in a strong first rotation for the Nittany Lions.
Penn State moved to the uneven bars during the second rotation, posting a total of 49.100. Piedrahita and Cassidy Rushlow took home the event title on bars, scoring 9.875s. Johnston came out with a 9.8 while Johanson and McElligott received 9.775s.
During the third rotation, Johnston received the second-best balance beam score of Penn State's season, winning the event title with a 9.875. Piedrahita started the event with a 9.85 and freshman Ashley Maul followed with a 9.775, improving her total from the first meet of the season. Herring received a 9.825 while McElligott and Salcedo both scored 9.8s.
In the fourth and final rotation, the Nittany Lions put on a show on floor. Piedrahita, McElligott, and Salcedo all received 9.9s to claim event crowns as Penn State put on a dominant performance to clinch the victory in the final rotation. Freshman Alyssa Kramer hit her career-best score with 9.825 to support Penn State's three 9.9 scorers.
FROM THE SOURCE
Head Coach Sarah Brown
WHAT'S NEXT
The Nittany Lions will host the Michigan State Spartans at Rec Hall on Friday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).