Feb. 7, 2009
Complete Results | Photo Gallery
University Park, Pa. - The 15th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team scored a season-high 196.150 en route to claiming the team title Saturday night at Rec Hall over Cornell (189.675), William & Mary (188.375) and Pennsylvania (185.425).
As a team, Penn State scored a 49.100 on vault, a season-high 49.075 on bars, a 48.800 on beam and a season-high 49.175 on floor for its first 196 of the year. Eight Nittany Lion gymnasts either set or tied 13 season or career records during the performance.
Behind all four event titles, junior Brandi Personett (Katy, Texas) claimed her fourth all-around title of the year with a 39.550, a mark that is just shy of her personal best. Freshman Whitney Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) posted her fifth top-five finish in the all-around as she posted a second-place 38.550.
Freshman Natalie Ettl was named the Ann Carr Award winner as the most inspirational gymnast of the meet. Ettl placed third on bars with a career-high 9.825 after returning from two major knee surgeries.
Nittany Lion gymnasts claimed the top four spots on vault, with Personett grabbing the title with a 9.925. Junior Rosie Smith (Waterford, Pa.) placed second with a season-high-tying 9.850 as junior Casey Rohrbaugh (Spring Grove, Pa.) notched a season-high-tying 9.825 for third. Sophomore Danielle Hover (Hamburg, N.Y.) tallied a fourth-place and career-high-tying 9.800 while Bencsko and junior Alexandra Brockway (Macungie, Pa.) each scored a 9.700 to tie for sixth.
The second rotation featured Penn State on bars and the Lions again controlled the event, posting the five highest scores of the evening. Personett grabbed the title with a career-high 9.900 as Smith notched a career-high 9.850 for second. Brockway and Ettl tied for third with a 9.825 as Hover placed fifth with a season-high 9.675. Bencsko rounded out the Nittany Lion competitors with a 9.225.
Penn State moved to beam in the third rotation with Personett capturing the event with a first-place 9.825. Rohrbaugh and Bencsko each posted a 9.800 - a season-high-tying mark for Rohrbaugh and a career record for Bencsko - to tie for second as Brockway finished fifth with a 9.725. Sophomore Heather McElwee (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) recorded a 9.650 to tie for sixth as junior Allie Southard (Nanuet, N.Y.) recorded a 9.300.
The Nittany Lions closed out the meet on floor and hit every routine, with all six competitors finishing in the top seven. Personett claimed her fourth floor title of the year with a 9.900 as Smith notched a second-place 9.850 and Bencsko tallied a third-place and personal-best-tying 9.825. Rohrbaugh and Southard tied for fourth with a 9.800, a mark that ties a season-high for Rohrbaugh and is a career-high for Southard. McElwee also equaled her personal-best with a 9.750 for seventh.
Penn State takes to the road, traveling to Big Ten foe Michigan on Friday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in a meet that will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 4:00 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions return home to host another quad meet with New Hampshire, Rutgers and Bridgeport on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.