CEDAR CITY, Utah – No. 23 Penn State women's gymnastics earned a 196.525 team total at Southern Utah on Friday night in the America First Event Center.
The Nittany Lions' score is their second-best road total of their 2024 campaign. Southern Utah finished with a 196.850.
A career night for sophomore all-arounder Ava Piedrahita led the Nittany Lions to their excellent road score. Her 39.525 score through all four events tied her lifetime best, and is her best regular-season all-around score. In addition to her all-around crown, Piedrahita won the vault with a season-best 9.925.
Isabella Salcedo impressed as well, scoring 9.8-or-better on all three of her events once again, including an event-winning 9.9 on floor.
ROTATION RECAP
The Nittany Lions started hot with a 49.125 on bars, led by a 9.9 from Piedrahita. Gabbie Gallentine's 9.875, Kalea McElligott's 9.825, and Maddie Johnston's 9.8 rounded out the Penn State routines that earned a 9.8-or-better in the first rotation.
Piedrahita's outstanding 9.925 vault fronted a Penn State group that posted a 49.075 on the apparatus in rotation two. McElligott scored another 9.825 while Salcedo earned a 9.8.
All of Penn State's scoring routines on floor earned a 9.8-or-better, led by Salcedo's 9.9. In her third event of the all-around, Piedrahita collected a 9.825 while Ashley Maul, Amani Herring, and McElligott each posted 9.8 totals. Maul's floor total was a career-best mark, improving her 9.775 from her event debut last week. As a team, the Nittany Lions posted a 49.125 on the floor exercise.
Penn State closed out its night with its best rotation of the evening, a 49.200 score on the balance beam. McElligott tied her career high with a 9.9 on the apparatus, while Piedrahita and Salcedo contributed 9.875 totals. In the first scoring beam routine of her collegiate career, Gallentine recorded a 9.825.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Nittany Lions travel back to the east coast for a 4 p.m. quad meet at N.C. State on Sunday, March 10.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
