FORT WORTH, Texas – Amani Herring scored a 9.7875 on the balance beam at the 2024 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, concluding her sophomore season on a strong note.
In her first NCAA Championship appearance, Herring shined, representing Penn State on college gymnastics' biggest stage. Head Coach Sarah Brown had nothing but positive things to say about the Nittany Lions' standout sophomore.
"I'm so proud of Amani and all that she has accomplished this season," Brown said. She has worked so hard and continued to be extremely mentally tough under an immense amount of pressure."
Herring qualified to the national meet with a 9.9 on the balance beam in the NCAA Regional second round. Not only did her score earn her the first trip to the NCAA Championships of her career, it helped earn the Nittany Lions their first-ever berth to the NCAA Regional Final. Her total during Thursday's competition set the Penn State then-school record at NCAA regional competition. She became the first Nittany Lion to qualify for the NCAA Championships on beam since Jessie Bastardi in 2019. It was Penn State's second-straight season sending individual competitors to the national meet.
The Denville, N.J. native's outing at the NCAA Championships officially closes the book on a historic 2024 season for Penn State's 60th women's gymnastics team. The Nittany Lions finished with a school record 196.825 NQS and their No. 15 final ranking is their highest in a decade, up 25 spots from where they finished just two seasons ago. With lots of young talent on its roster, as evidenced by Herring's NCAA Championship berth, Penn State has a bright future ahead.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
