UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State women's gymnastics team (9-8, 3-6 Big Ten) will join Penn State's men's gymnastics squad on Friday at 6 p.m. in hosting William & Mary for a Senior Day double dual, presented by the Penn State Alumni Association.
The Nittany Lions enter their final home meet of the 2023 campaign coming off of their strongest road performance of the year in session one of the Big Five Meet in Lincoln, Neb. on Friday evening. Penn State put up a 196.100 to claim fourth place and take down No. 21 Maryland.
Ava Piedrahita's career-best 9.95 on the vault led the Nittany Lion squad to a 49.325 on the apparatus, good for the team's highest score on the event since the 2015 season. Piedrahita's score was also the highest vault score by a Nittany Lion since Briannah Tsang hit a 9.95 in that same 2015 campaign.
Penn State looks to maintain its success at home, where it is 5-1 on the season. William & Mary enters as the 66th-ranked team in the RoadToNationals NQS rankings this year.
SENIOR NIGHT - PRESENTED BY THE PENN STATE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The Nittany Lions invite fans to stick around after the conclusion of the meet to help them honor their three seniors.
Amy Bladon, Bella Romagnano, and Cassidy Rushlow will all be recognized for their accomplishments in the blue & white with a special ceremony following the meet. All three began their careers at Penn State during the COVID-19 pandemic and provided significant contributions through incredible adversity during their time with the Nittany Lions.
ALUMNI NIGHT
Penn State will also honor members of its 1980 AIAW Championship-winning squad with a ring ceremony before the meet begins.
The Nittany Lions will recognize Karen Schuckman, the University's first female All-American, for her contributions to Penn State and its women's gymnastics program in the pre-meet ceremony.
TUNE IN LIVE
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LAST TIME OUT
Penn State's standout vault score at the Big Five Meet boosted its event rankings, with the Nittany Lions now earning top-25 NQS scores on both vault and bars entering competition on Friday.
VAULT – No. 25
Piedrahita once again led the way on vault, putting up a career-best 9.95 to win the event title and lead her team to a 49.325 total score. Maddie Johnston set a career high with a 9.85 while Elina Vihrova tied her career-best mark with the same 9.85. Cassidy Rushlow entered the vault lineup for the first time this season and put up another 9.85 for the Nittany Lions while Jessica Johanson and Isabella Salcedo each put up 9.825s to round out a fantastic event for Penn State.
According to the RoadToNationals NQS rankings, Piedrahita jumped five spots to No. 32 on the vault in the NCAA this week and got bumped up one spot to No. 9 in the Big Ten on the apparatus.
BARS – No. 25
On bars, Rushlow turned in her fifth 9.9-or-better score of the 2023 campaign, leading the squad with a 9.925. A pair of 9.825s from Johnston and Piedrahita bolstered the group as it posted a 49.000 score on the apparatus.
Rushlow jumped up 15 spots to No. 24 in the NCAA on the apparatus and is tied now for the No. 2 spot in the Big Ten in the RoadToNationals NQS rankings.
BALANCE BEAM – No. 32
Rushlow led the team with a 9.85 on beam, followed by Gibble with a 9.775. Penn State finished with a 48.825 score on the apparatus.
FLOOR – No. 45
Penn State started off its night on the floor at the Big Five Meet, where the Nittany Lion freshmen shined. Piedrahita tied her career high with a 9.85 while Hailey Gibble earned a 9.775 in her scoring debut on the event. Jessica Johanson earned a 9.8 to round out Penn State's top three scorers on the event, resulting in a solid 48.950 score on the apparatus.
All-Around
Penn State had four gymnasts compete in the all-around at the Big Five Meet. Piedrahita led the group with a 39.300 total score, followed by Rushlow and Johnston at 39.200. Johanson made her return to the all-around with a solid 39.050 effort. Rushlow's season debut in the all-around was a much-needed boost as the team prepares for its two final regular season meets.
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Following the meet on Friday, the Nittany Lions will head to Auburn to take on the No. 9 Tigers in a dual meet on Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensGymnastics) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewgym).
