MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team placed third in the first session of the Big Ten Championships with a team score of 195.525. The result placed the Nittany Lions seventh overall in the competition.
"The Big Ten is such a competitive conference and today was a fight from start to finish," Head Coach Sarah Brown said. "It was so great to see Maddie in the all-around and I am proud of Cassidy and how she performed on each event."
The Nittany Lions had their best performance of the year on vault, posting their first 49.000 score of the 2021 campaign. Cassidy Rushlow had one of her three team-leading performances on the apparatus with a score of 9.850.
The sophomore had a strong day overall, recording an all-around score of 39.350 and recording scores of 9.900 on bars and on beam. Both scores were tied for the top score in the session, giving her the score to beat as the Big Ten Championship headed into its second session Saturday evening. After the meet, Rushlow was named to the All-Championship Team after placing third on bars and fifth on beam.
Penn State's great season on bars continued Saturday, as the team posted its seventh 49+ bars score of the year with a 49.125. In addition to the strong scorer from Rushlow, Maddie Johnston added a career-high 9.875 and Natalie Cross tied her career-high with a 9.825. Johnston was also strong in the all-around, compiling a score of 39.150.
Minnesota claimed the conference title after winning the second session with a team score of 197.750
The Nittany Lions now await Monday's NCAA Championship selection show, where 36 teams will be selected to compete in the regional round of the NCAA Championships. The NCAA Regionals are scheduled for April 1-3.