Jan. 6, 2017
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team begins its 53rd season with a quad meet Saturday, Jan. 7, inside Rec Hall starting at 4 p.m. The No. 23 Nittany Lions kick off the 2017 season hosting Bowling Green, No. 36 BYU and Temple.
The 2017 Nittany Lion roster features 13 returners from last season and welcomes three freshmen to the program. Tess McCracken, Kristen Politz and Mikayla Waddell make up the Nittany Lion freshman class.
Penn State is in search of its 19th team appearance at the NCAA Championship meet. The 2016 Nittany Lion squad finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships and took fifth at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Individually, Briannah Tsang advanced to her first NCAA Championship appearance as she tied for the floor exercise title at NCAA Regional meet. She then closed out her sophomore season in 2016 as she tied for 38th on the floor exercise with a 9.8125.
Along with Tsang, Kiera Brown, Nicole Medvitz and Emma Sibson bring NCAA Championship team experience to the program in 2017. Medvitz and Sibson competed for the Nittany Lions at the 2014 NCAA Championships, while Brown and the Georgia Gym Dogs advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2014 and 2015.
TICKET INFORMATION
Season ticket prices for the women's four dual meets are $18 for adults and $12 for youth. The season tickets exclude the double dual meet on Jan. 21 and Feb. 11 where adult ticket prices are $6 and youth are just $4.
Single meet tickets are available for all home meets in advance and at the door on the event night at a cost of $8 for adults and $5 for youth. Group tickets (20 or more) can be purchased in advance for a reduced rate of $4 each.
All tickets can be purchased by calling Penn State Athletics at 1-800-NITTANY or by visiting the Athletic Ticket Office inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
Bowling Green returns two MAC Champions to the 2017 team, as a Lauren Feely was named the 2016 MAC all-around champion (39.300) and Laura Mitchell captured the balance beam title (9.925).
Thirteen of the 19 members on the 2017 Bowling Green women's gymnastics roster are freshmen or sophomores.
Head coach Kerrie Turner returns for her 10th season at BGSU. She was named the 2013 MAC Coach of the Year.
The Nittany Lions and Falcons have met once in program history with the Nittany Lions prevailing, 195.025-189.800, in a quad meet on March 1, 2008.
SCOUTING BYU
BYU returns 10 gymnasts from last season's team that finished sixth at the NCAA Regional Championships.
Penn State owns a 5-2 record in the regular season against the BYU Cougars. The two programs last met on April 12, 2008, at the NCAA Regionals. Penn State finished third with a 195.700, while BYU placed fifth with a 194.325.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
The Temple Owls finished fifth at the 2016 ECAC Championships with a 192.525.
Penn State sports a perfect 13-0 record against Temple in the regular season. The two teams met last season at the Unite For Her meet on Feb. 26. Penn State finished second with 195.675, while Temple took fifth with a 191.625.
NITTANY LION DEBUTS
In their first season as Penn Staters, four Nittany Lions competed in at least 11 of the 12 team meets on the year. Kiera Brown competed in 11 meets, Sabrina Garcia made an appearance in 11 meets, Mason Hosek competed in all 12 meets and Jessica Jones competed in all 12 meets.
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCES
In the Penn State record books last season, the Nittany Lions recorded three individual top-10 performances and recorded a pair of top-10 outings as a team.
Kiera Brown tallied a 9.950 on the uneven bars twice, which tied the No. 3 performance in school history and on the balance beam, Nicole Medvitz tied the No. 5 performance in the PSU record books with a 9.975.
As a team last season, the Nittany Lions set a pair of top-10 school record performances at the Big Five Qualifier on March 12.
Behind Medvtiz' 9.975 on the balance beam, the Nittany Lions tied the No. 4 mark in school history on the balance with a 49.375. Overall as a team, the Nittany Lions set a 197.125, which is the fourth-best score in program history.
PRESEASON POLL
The Penn State women's gymnastics team was selected 23rd in the 2017 National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Nittany Lions closed out the 2016 season ranked No. 26.
Penn State will compete against eight programs that are ranked in the NACGC/W Preseason Coaches' Poll during the 2017 season.
HOME SWEET HOME
The 2017 slate features five home meets for the Nittany Lions inside Rec Hall. Penn State opens the 2017 campaign at home in a quad meet against Bowling Green, BYU and Temple on Jan. 7. The Nittany Lions return home two weeks later to host Maryland in a double dual with the Penn State men's program on Jan. 21.
The month of February features three home meets for the Blue & White with Michigan State (Feb. 4), Ohio State (Feb. 11) and Pittsburgh (Feb. 25) coming to town. All Nittany Lion home meets start are scheduled for Saturdays at 4 p.m.
WELCOME BACK
The Nittany Lions return 13 members from the 2016 team that finished fourth at the Big Ten Championships and fifth at the NCAA Regional Championships.
NEW NITTANY LIONS
Tess McCracken, Kristen Politz and Mikayla Waddell joined the Penn State women's gymnastics team in the fall of 2016 as freshmen. McCracken is from Plano, Texas, while Politz (Morganville, N.J.) and Waddell (Ridgewood) both call New Jersey home.
STARTING OFF STRONG
Since the 1999 season, the Nittany Lions have started the season with a top-10 season-opening meet score. The Nittany Lions have tallied a season-opening top-10 score in each of the past two seasons.
Three of the top-10 scores have come under the watch of head coach Jeff Thompson.
Five of those scores have been recorded at home, with four others accomplished at the Super Six Challenge; 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007.
195.775 Morgantown, W.Va. 2012
195.075 University Park, Pa. 1999
194.875 University Park, Pa. 2006
194.850 Gainesville, Fla. 2005
194.800 University Park, Pa. 2009
194.675 University Park, Pa. 2015
194.600 Tuscaloosa, Ala. 2004
194.575 Fayetteville, Ark. 2007
194.375 Athens, Ga. 2003
194.125 University Park, Pa. 2016
THOMPSON CAPTURES WIN NO. 150
Head coach Jeff Thompson is in his 17th season as a collegiate head coach and recently captured win No. 150. In his career, Thompson has compiled a 157-107 record.
On Feb. 22, 2016, Penn State defeated Maryland, 196.350-195.350, for Coach Thompson's 150th career win.
In his sixth season at the helm of Penn State, Thompson has a record of 85-25. Prior to Penn State, the Highland Heights, Ky., native tallied a record of 72-82 at Auburn.
In 2014, the Nittany Lions owned a 20-3 regular season record and set a school record for regular season victories on March 15 in the Big Ten Quad in Ann Arbor.
The previous school record was held by the 2007 squad, which finished 19-4 and placed third at the NCAA Regional Championships.
REC HALL BAG POLICY
No backpacks or duffle bags are permitted during varsity athletic events, other athletic and non-athletic events at this venue. No bags or purses larger than 8.5"x11"x6" will be permitted. All other bags will be searched upon entrance to the facility.
THOMPSON IN ELITE COMPANY
Head coach Jeff Thompson headed back to the NCAA Championships for the second time as a head coach and his first as the leader of the Nittany Lions in 2014.
Thompson's first appearance at the national meet came with Auburn in 2003 and he led the Nittany Lions back to the national summit for the first time since the program went in 2009.
He is just the third head coach in NCAA history to navigate two different programs to the NCAA Championships, joining K.J. Kindler (Iowa State & Oklahoma) and Judi Markell (Penn State and Florida).
Thompson took Auburn to the championships during his fourth season at the helm of the program. The Tigers finished 12th at the 2003 NCAA Championships, posting a team score of 193.525.
The Highland Heights, Kentucky, native guided Penn State to their 17th appearance at the NCAA Championships in his fourth year, as well. The Blue and White finished 12th with a team score of 194.825.
MOLINARO, NILSON NAMED ASSISTANT COACHES
Following the conclusion of the 2016 season, head coach Jeff Thompson tabbed Kera Molinaro and Josh Nilson as assistant coaches with the Penn State women's gymnastics program.
Prior to the 2016 season, Molinaro was a volunteer assistant coach and she then served as an interim assistant coach during the 2016 season.
Nilson joined the PSU program after spending nine years at Utah State.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Penn State enjoys one of the most historic collegiate gymnastics venues in the country and they take pride in giving the home crowd something to cheer for, including a lot of wins.
Since 1975, Penn State owns a 227-58 overall record in home meets. The Nittany Lions are 224-57 at Rec Hall and are 3-0 in meets contested inside the Bryce Jordan Center.
The loss to North Carolina State on Jan. 9, 2016, snapped a seven-meet winning streak inside Rec Hall. The seven-meet winning streak was the fourth-best in program history.
Penn State swept its last two home meets in 2014 and was unblemished in its five home dates in 2015.
The longest unbeaten streaks in school history are as follows: (Streaks are listed by meets, not wins. Meaning if Penn State hosted three teams needed to be victorious vs. all three opponents to extend the streak.)
1977-82 28 meets
1999-2001 11 meets
1975-77 10 meets
2014-15 7 meets
2013-14/2009-10/2005 6 meets
2007/1992-93 5 meets
2011/1991/1986-87 4 meets
SIBSON RETURNS
After an injury plagued junior season in 2016, Emma Sibson returns to the Nittany Lions for her senior season.
A 2015 Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, Sibson owns eight career event titles. During her first two seasons at Penn State she competed in all 26 meets, which included tying for fifth-place on the vault at the 2015 Big Ten Championships (9.900).
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN
Junior Kiera Brown became the 26th Nittany Lion to receive All-America honors in the history of Penn State women's gymnastics. In all, 26 Nittany Lions have garnered 93 All-America honors since 1974.
The Nittany Lions have had at least one All-American in 28 of the last 43 seasons since Karen Schuckman earned the first honor in 1974.
SMART LIONS
Four Nittany Lions were honored by the Big Ten for their work in the classroom.
Nicole Medvitz, Christina Postiglione, Chanen Raygoza and Briannah Tsang were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team.
To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, students must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
BIG TEN CHAMP
Kiera Brown, competing in her first Big Ten meet, tied for the uneven bars title with her score of 9.950. Her tally of 9.950 tied her career-best and is tied for the No. 3 performance in school history.
Brown's title is the 17th event title at the Big Ten meet in program history for the Blue and White.
BIG TEN GYMNASTS TO WATCH
Prior to the start of the 2017 season, Kiera Brown and Briannah Tsang were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch.
Brown returns for her senior season after tallying All-America honors on the uneven bars last season and NCAA floor exercise qualifier Tsang is back for the Nittany Lions for her junior year.
LOOKING AHEAD
The No. 23 Nittany Lions head to Lincoln, Neb., to take on the No. 12 Nebraska Huskers in the 2017 Big Ten opener for the two programs. The meet is slated for a 1 p.m. start inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Sunday, Jan. 15.