EAST LANSING, Mich. – Penn State women's gymnastics' Kalea McElligott was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year following her outstanding 2024 campaign.
McElligott collects the conference's newcomer honor thanks to a freshman season in which she competed in the all-around in all but one meet. She finished the regular season as the No. 1 freshman all-arounder in the Big Ten, concluding her season with a 39.345 all-around NQS. McElligott earned 9.9 totals on vault, beam, and floor in her excellent season and seeks to lead Penn State to a solid outing at the Big Ten Championships tomorrow.
The Massapequa, N.Y. product is Penn State's first Big Ten Freshman of the Year award winner since Brianna Tsang earned a share of the honor in 2015. She is the Nittany Lions' first solo winner since Sharaya Musser in 2010 and is the program's fifth-ever honoree.
Additionally, Kaite Leary was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten's Sportsmanship Award for the 2024 season. Leary brings the energy in the gym day in and day out and truly embodies what it means to be a Nittany Lion.
McElligott and Leary join First Team All-Big Ten honoree Ava Piedrahita as conference honor recipients in 2024.
PENN STATE AWARD WINNERS
Big Ten Freshman of the Year – Kalea McElligott
First Team All-Big Ten – Ava Piedrahita
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award – Katie Leary
LOOKING AHEAD
McElligott and the rest of the Nittany Lions will take part in this year's Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 23 in Michigan State's Jenison Field House. Penn State will compete in Session I at noon ET and the meet will air live on the Big Ten Network.