UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's gymnastics earned three regional awards, as announced by the WCGA Wednesday morning. Sophomore Ava Piedrahita was named the region's co-gymnast of the year, Sarah Brown earned Head Coach of the Year honors, and the team of Ralph Rosso, Rachel Inniss, and Lynnzee Brown brough home Assistant Coaches of the Year laurels.
THE HONOREES
Ava Piedrahita – WCGA North East Region Co-Gymnast of the Year
The Gaithersburg, Md. native followed up her postseason All-American season last year with an outstanding showing in 2024, recording six 9.9-plus vault totals without dipping below 9.800 in the event. She also posted five 39.400-plus all-around scores, including a 39.525 career-best mark.
"I'm so incredibly proud of all the work Ava has put in this season," said Coach Brown. "She continues to lead our team by example and gets better each week. Ava is so deserving of this award and as a coach, it's rewarding seeing her be recognized by the WCGA."
Piedrahita earns her first career regional honor alongside Michigan's Sierra Brooks. The Big Ten athletes were both named to the All-Conference First Team as well.
Sarah Brown – WCGA North East Region Head Coach of the Year
Coach Brown's first career WCGA regional honor comes after she guided the Nittany Lions to a program record 196.825 regular season NQS during the 2024 season. Brown has Penn State ready for round two of the Michigan Regional this year after a its record-breaking regular season.
Brown coached the Nittany Lions to 15 individual wins during the regular season, the team's highest total in her tenure and its most since the 2014 campaign. Additionally, Brown's squad produced four top-15 scores in school history this season, including a pair of 197.000-or-better totals.
Individually, Brown coached Kalea McElligott to a Big Ten Freshman of the Year campaign and sophomore Ava Piedrahita to a First Team All-Big Ten nod. Both gymnasts contributed heavily to each one of Coach Brown's lineups, with Piedrahita competing the all-around in every meet of the season and McElligott doing so in all but one in her freshman campaign.
Rachel Inniss, Ralph Rosso, Lynnzee Brown – WCGA North East Region Asst. Coaches of the Year
Following an outstanding conclusion to the 2023 campaign, Penn State added Lynnzee Brown to its assistant coaching corps and subsequently put together an even better 2024 season.
"This staff has it all," said Brown. "They are smart, fun to be around, eager to improve and hungry for success! They work tirelessly to provide the best environment for our student-athletes day in and day out. They provide guidance, insight and exceptional leadership to our team and I couldn't be more proud to have them on my staff. I appreciate each one of them and I'm so happy to see them being rewarded for all they bring to our program."
Rosso, Inniss, and Brown's coaching prowess showed in each and every event this season, as the Nittany Lions enter regional competition with vault and beam ranking in the top 25 in the country while bars and floor still slot in the top 40 groups in the nation. The Nittany Lion assistant coaching group earns its first regional accolade under Coach Brown's leadership.
PENN STATE POSTSEASON AWARD WINNERS
WCGA Co-Gymnast of the Year – Ava Piedrahita
WCGA North East Region Head Coach of the Year – Sarah Brown
WCGA North East Region Asst. Coaches of the Year – Ralph Rosso, Rachel Inniss, Lynnzee Brown
Big Ten All-Championships Team – Amani Herring & Isabella Salcedo
Big Ten Freshman of the Year – Kalea McElligott
First Team All-Big Ten – Ava Piedrahita
Big Ten Sportsmanship Award – Katie Leary
LOOKING AHEAD
Penn State is set for competition in round two of the Michigan Regional on Thursday at 2 p.m. in the Crisler Center.