UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A record-breaking day from No. 17 Penn State (3-0, 2-0 Big Ten) led to a monstrous 197.250-196.675 victory over the Maryland Terrapins (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon in Rec Hall. The Blue & White set three new school records and two individual school records in the meet.
The Nittany Lions’ 197.250 total team scored was the third-highest team score in program history and the highest ever under Head Coach Sarah Brown and, as of entering week three, tied with No. 8 Arkansas for the eighth highest team total in the country in the 2026 campaign. Penn State’s 49.450 on uneven bars marked the third-highest team score on bars in program history and the 49.475 tallied on floor is the sixth-best in team history.
The Ann Carr award, given to the athlete who achieves the most inspirational performance of each meet, was given to Ellie Monahan after a spectacular showing on bars, beam and floor.
VAULT (49.150)
In the best vault showing since the GW Tri-Meet last year, the Nittany Lions outscored the Terrapins 49.150-48.975. Senior Ava Piedrahita, the event winner, stunned with a 9.900 routine alongside sophomore Allison Kaempfer who secured a new career record with a 9.850. Sophomore Elizabeth Leary wasn’t far behind her teammates with a 9.825 as the opener for Penn State. Freshman Ava Cash put up her second 9.800 on vault in three career attempts. Sophomore Dani Latronica and graduate Jessica Johanson rounded out the vault for the Nittany Lions by recording a 9.775 and 9.725, respectively.
BARS (49.450)
The 49.450 team score put up by Penn State marked the highest bars tally since the NCAA regional final in 2024 and overtook the 2003 Nebraska meet for the third-best bars score in Penn State history. Latronica continued to build on her strong start to the season by securing the event title with an astounding 9.950, the highest by any individual Penn State gymnast since 2023 and destroyed her original career-high of 9.900. Prior to her routine, Piedrahita put on a show of her own with a 9.900, marking consecutive weeks with a 9.900 or higher on bars for the Maryland-native. Leary and Cash each set new career-highs with 9.875s from the pair with Monahan also setting a new career-high by totaling 9.850 on the opening routine for Penn State. Johanson rounded out the troupe with a 9.800.
BEAM (49.175)
Latronica again paced the Nittany Lions with a 9.875 as the closer for Penn State’s beam rotation, tying her career-high and earning a share of the event title. Monahan and Alyssa Kramer each scored a 9.850, with both notching career-highs, and Kalea McElligott continued her strong 2026 campaign with a 9.825. Junior Ashley Maul and Leary rounded out the rotation for the Nittany Lions by tallying a 9.775 and 9.675, respectively.
FLOOR (49.475)
Three scores of 9.900 or higher pushed Penn State to its highest floor total since the NC State Quad in 2024, surpassing it for sole possession of sixth in the Nittany Lion record book for the highest floor totals in program history. Kramer put up a nearly perfect score of a 9.975, tied for the second-highest by any Penn State gymnast in program history, earning her a share of the event title. Sophomore Bella Misiura set a new career-high and McElligott tied her career-high with each gymnast scoring a 9.900. Maul and Monahan notched a pair of 9.850s with Monahan setting a new career-high with the mark. Johanson finished the event for the Nittany Lions with a 9.825.
UP NEXT
Penn State will begin a two-week road trip that will first see the Nittany Lions heading to Piscataway, N.J. to take on Rutgers on Sunday, February 1st at 2 p.m. The Blue & White will then go southbound to face the LSU Tigers in Baton Rouge on Friday, February 6th at 7:30 p.m.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and X/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).