UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 33 ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team will head to Morgantown, W.V., to compete at the NCAA Regional Championships.
The Nittany Lions will kick off competition on Thursday in a first-round dual meet against regional host West Virginia. The winner of the dual will advance to Friday's team portion and will compete in the evening session.
Four Penn State gymnasts were selected as automatic individual qualifiers for the regional round. Sophomore Cassidy Rushlow was selected as one of three All-Around competitors in the Morgantown Regional. Seniors Ava Verdeflor and Alissa Bonsall were selected as individual specialists on bars and Melissa Astarita was selected as a specialist on floor. These four individuals will compete in the regional round regardless of Penn State's result on April 1.
The team is coming off a 195.425 performance at the Big Ten Championships, placing seventh in the meet.
Sophomore Cassidy Rushlow excelled in the All-Around, posting 9.900 scores on both bars and beam. After the meet, she was named to the All-Championship team.
Thursday's first round action is slated to begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday and will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Follow along on our social media pages for @PennStateWGYM.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Stream: ESPN+ - Thursday | Friday Session One | Friday Session Two | Saturday
Live Results: Thursday | Friday Session One | Friday Session Two | Saturday
PENN STATE VS WVU HISTORY
Penn State holds a 33-7 advantage in the all-time series against West Virginia. The teams last met in 2020 when the Nittany Lions won 195.750-195.325.
CONFERENCE ACCOLADES
Following the Big Ten Championship, sophomore Cassidy Rushlow was named to the All-Championship team. Rushlow placed third on beam and fifth on bars with matching 9.9 scores.
The Nittany Lions claimed several yearly awards from the Big Ten this week. In March, the conference announced that Cassidy Rushlow was named First Team All-Big Ten and Alissa Bonsall and Ava Verdeflor were named Second Team All-Big Ten. In addition, senior Lauren Bridgens was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The success carried into the classroom as well, as 11 members of the Penn State squad were named Academic All-Big Ten.
NATIONAL NITS
Cassidy Rushlow ranks 29th in the nation on all-around.
Ava Verdeflor and Alissa Bonsall rank 34th and 47th respectively on bars.
As a team, Penn State ranks 19th on bars.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Nine of Penn State's 24 lineup spots were occupied by freshmen in its season opener against Maryland. Three other lineup spots earned their first score on that event as a Nittany Lion.
Natalie Cross led the group, leading Penn State on vault (9.850) and beam (9.875), placing second overall in both events, and competing on bars. Maddie Johnston earned a solid 9.825 on beam, finishing third in the meet. She also competed on vault and bars. Maggie Ayers made her Penn State debut on bars, beam and floor. Amy Bladon made her Nittany Lion debut on beam and floor, while Donna Howell made her debut on vault.
HOME SWEET HOME
Penn State averaged a 196.230 in five home meets last season, its highest at Rec Hall since 2015. The Nittany Lions earned a 196.000 or better in each of the last four home meets, highlighted by a 196.575 in the PSU Quad Meet.
The Nittany Lions scored above a 49.000 on bars in four of five meets, paced by a 49.300 against West Virginia. Penn State tallied a 49.000 or better on beam in four home meets, finishing strong with a 49.325 against Florida. The blue and white also earned a 49.000 or better on floor in four meets, led by a 49.375 vs. Iowa.
BONSALL, RUSHLOW EARN B1G RECOGNITION
Senior Alissa Bonsall and sophomore Cassidy Rushlow were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch.
Bonsall won four individual event titles in 2020, including two on vault and two on bars. She earned a 9.900 on both vault and bars. She has three career scores of 9.900 on bars.
Rushlow ranked 39th in the nation on all-around last season with a 39.130 NQS. She also sat 63rd on beam with a 9.855 NQS. Rushlow won five individual event titles in 2020, including one in all-around, two on vault, one on bars and one on beam. She earned two scores of 9.900 on beam, a 9.900 on vault and a 9.925 on bars.