Former Penn State gymnast Whitney Bencsko enters her first season on staff with the women[apos]s gymnastics program as the volunteer assistant coach.
From 2009-12, Bencsko was a mainstay in the Nittany Lions lineup and was a big reason the Lions advanced to the NCAA National Championships in 2009. She earned a pair of All-America honors during her rookie season, receiving first team honors on the vault and second team accolades in the all-around. She also brought home second team All-Big Ten accolades during the 2009 season, tying for second on the vault at the Big Ten Championships.
After suffering a knee injury in the middle of her sophomore campaign, Bencsko came back to be one of the top contributors as a junior and senior. She helped Penn State finish second as a team at the Big Ten Championships.
Bencsko was the perfect balance of student, team leader and dedication to her craft while donning the blue and white. She was a three-time recipient of the Kathy Parody Hard Work Award, earned the Crane/Whittaker Attitude Award once and was bestowed the inaugural Heart of a Lion/Kelly Streicher Award in 2012.
The 2011 True Grit Award, presented by the Nittany Lion Club to one male and one female student-athlete that overcame adversity and continued to contribute to their team each year, Bencsko was bestowed the award after returning to the Nittany Lions lineup from a knee injury in 2010.
Bencsko spent the summer working with level 4-10 gymnasts with her former club programs, North Stars Gymnastics Club. She was a level 10 gymnast for NSGC and advanced to the Junior Olympic National Championships three times.
A graduate of Penn State University, Bencsko earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences in 2013. She currently resides in State College.