We are so happy you have been following us all year, and we hope you enjoyed "Bringing
it Back" with us! We don't even know where to begin. It has been such a great journey, and we all learned so much. Although the team's season has come to an end, we will send Sharaya off to Nationals with all our love and support as she represents Penn State with pride, passion, and purpose.
We started out the season strong as a bonded group of sisters and continued to grow even closer as the season progressed. Each meet we came together as a team and continually made improvements. Even though it was cut short, we are proud of how we fought at each and every meet as we were reaching toward our goal. We are going to miss our senior class: Whitney, Daryl, Natalie, and Alex. They led us through the season and continually inspired each of us in their own way.
As a sophomore class, we took everything that we learned from last year and applied it to making this year even better. This year was much less stressful for all of us individually because we had already been through classes and practices and season once before! It made it a lot easier to have fun and it was definitely easier to enjoy the year. We all can't believe we are basically juniors now. We are half way done with our college careers! These past two years have flown by, and we are just trying to take everything in because we know the next two years will go by even faster.
For us, next year starts now and we couldn't be more excited! Good luck to Sharaya next weekend down in Duluth, Georgia!
Enjoy your summer and look for us next year,
Kristin Blades, Kassidy Stauder, Lindsay Musgrove, and Stephanie Brock
Hi family, friends, and fans! It is already April and I can't believe it; there are only three short
weeks left of the spring semester until it's summer time! I know I am excited for summer so I can finally be back in the nice Florida sunshine and also to see my family and friends! As most of you know our season came to an end this past weekend at regionals. As a whole I think we had an awesome season and we grew so much as a team this entire year. It was, however, disappointing to not make nationals and actually having to come to terms with us being finished with the season. But, I think we will all remember this feeling which will make us come back better than ever next year. But other than that, classes are going really well and I have already started training for next year. I will be going home for part of the summer, about a month and a half, and then I will be coming back to State College. I am going to be teaching at the summer camp and then I will start classes for the second summer session so I'll be back up here training as well. But, that is it for now; hope everyone is enjoying this lovely spring weather. We Are...
I hope you all had or are looking forward to a great spring break! The past couple weeks have been great inside the gym! As championship season is beginning we have been working extra hard to focus and put ourselves in meet-like situations for more preparation. Two weeks ago was the start of it all, Big Ten Championships. Unfortunately, we didn't do as well as we wanted.As we walked out of that competition we were more motivated than ever! Our goal was to get back in the gym and work really hard to fix the things we needed to so we could put it all together for regionals! I think we are as prepared as we can be for this competition. This weekend we will be bussing it to North Carolina State to compete against NC State, Florida, Ohio State, Kent State, and UNC. The top two teams will then qualify to NCAA's.We look at Big Ten's as just another thing that will help us prepare, and better us on our journey to the top! Last week we had the privilege of hearing an amazing man, Coach Mike Morse, speak to us. He has lived an incredible life of challenges you can't even imagine! He talked to us and explained how you can be great, but you are nothing without your team. You're stronger together then you are apart. It was an emotional yet truly inspiring speech. This week as our close knit team competes, we will fight until the very end to claim the spot we earned and deserve!
Wow, this weekend was truly remarkable! I am first going to start off by talking about our last regular season meet. As a team we went into the competition knowing that we were going to have fun and put all four events together. And I am happy to say, we did just that and more! We started off on a great roll on vault and brought that same drive into bars and came out with our season high total. Beam and floor ended the competition on a high note, and we were able to score our home meet season high! However, the competition was just one aspect of the unforgettable weekend.
The alumni were another special part of the weekend. Between the men and women alumni, we had over 100 that came back to help celebrate. It was an amazing feeling to have so much support sitting right there in the stands. After the competition we went over to the Nittany Lion Inn for a get together where we got to mingle with all the alumni and our families. I talked with several alumni and just couldn't believe that I will soon be in their shoes. The most touching part for me at the reception was taking a picture with one of the Men's alumni that was from the class of '44. He told me that it was an honor to meet me and to cherish every last minute I have being a part of this amazing program. This brings me to my last topic from the weekend, SENIOR NIGHT!
I could not have asked for a more special night that will forever remain a memory for me. I can still remember the day that Daryl, Alex, Whitney, and I walked into Rec Hall for our first competition and I will certainly remember the day when we walked into Rec Hall for our last. The four of us started out as four completely different people but developed a friendship that turned into a sisterhood that will last a lifetime. We have laughed together and cried together, and started this journey together that we won't give up on until the end. Our teammates provided us with many laughs in the locker room prior to competition, something that I will never forget. Then following the competition, our teammates gave us a collage that they put together along with our class rings. After that, we got to enjoy some entertainment that was put together by Jeff. It was incredible watching the old videos of where we all started, to watching where we are now. I know that I never would have thought I would end up at Penn State, but I'm sure glad that I did.
This weekend we are heading to Big Ten's in Iowa. We have secured a second seed going into the competition behind Nebraska. We will start on vault and compete in the second session. A special congratulation is in order for Sharaya who received first-team All-Big Ten honors, along with Whitney and Maddie who received second-team All-Big Ten honors.We are ready to go to Big Ten's and do what we do! We Are...Bringing it Back! We Are...Penn State!!!
By Laura Finley, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's gymnastics team closed
out its regular season in high fashion on Saturday night, taking home its
highest home meet score and honoring the seniors for their contributions over
the years.
The women had much to be proud of as they put on their best performance at Rec
Hall this season, taking first place against the Maryland with a
score of 196.5. It was a score only fitting for senior night as Natalie Ettl, Daryl
Konsevick, Whitney Bencsko and Alex Stine ended their careers at Rec Hall on the
top.
"The seniors are great," said associate head coach Rachelle Thompson. "We're
here where we are, number 12 in the country and number two in the Big Ten
because of our seniors. A year and a half ago it was that class that we approached
and we said 'look this is what we want to do, this is where we want to go' and
they said 'we're on board, let's run'. They've made it. They haven't given up."
This never give up attitude has been encompassed by the team as a
whole, as Penn State showed its dominance in the all-around category. Junior
Sharaya Musser continues to go undefeated this season, placing first with a
39.650 while Bencsko scored a season-high 39.325 allowing her to take home
second in her last meet at Rec Hall.
"It's sad, but we feel like it was a great night," said Benckso. "We
put on a good performance and it was a lot of fun. I think we can say it's the
first time [this season] that we've actually put four events together. I think
that gives us the realization that we're on the right track and we're ready to
go."
Opening on vault, Penn State scored a 49.175 led by Madison Merriam
with her career-high score of 9.925. The score allowed the Nittany Lions to
jump to the lead early as the University of Maryland came up with 48.775 on the
uneven bars.
"The mindset when we walked in the door was, we're going to have fun
tonight and we're going to do what we do best," said Bencsko. "We literally
said let's go out there and have a blast and leave Rec Hall on a good note, and
we did."
Penn State continued to feed off of the excitement felt throughout Rec
Hall, as the team collected a season-high team score of 49.350 on the uneven
bars. This allowed the team to hang on to an early lead, as Merriam led with a
9.900 followed by Stine, Musser and Bencsko who all scored a 9.875.
Although the team struggled on their third event of the night, the beam,
Penn State still managed to maintain their lead with a score of 48.900. Musser
led her team with a 9.875 followed by Bencsko in second with a 9.825.
The floor event closed out the night for the Nittany Lions who scraped
by with a 49.075 led by Musser with her career-high of a 9.950. The scores
allowed Penn State to clinch first in the meet, allowing the seniors to leave
their last meet at Rec Hall with a win.
"It was a great night and a lot of fun," said Konsevick. "There was a
lot of high energy and the emotions were there for sure. It didn't really feel
different until the end at the last floor routine. During my floor routine, as
I made my last pass, I said to myself 'treasure this moment.' That was the most
emotional part of the night for me. I was overwhelmed with happiness and just
proud of everything."
By Laura Finley, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK,
Pa. - Alex Stine remembers her first time competing in Rec Hall for the Penn
State women's gymnastics team.
So do Natalie Ettl,
Whitney Bencsko and Daryl Konsevick.
They remember the
emotion they felt landing the first routine, the contagious energy of the crowd
and the fervent support of their teammates.
For the four
seniors on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, their careers at Rec Hall
may be coming to an end Saturday night, but the memories made and lessons
learned will never be forgotten.
"The journey has
been fun," said Bencsko. "There's so many ups and downs with this sport that
you're never going to be perfect, so how you deal with it and how you move
forward really portrays your character."
And each senior has
displayed incredible character as she has navigated her way through college,
balancing academics and gymnastics.
To say they have
had their fair share of adversity would be an understatement. It was with each
other's support that the group persevered, overcoming injuries, personal
obstacles and coaching changes all the while competing to their fullest
abilities.
"I think everything
has brought us closer," said Ettl. "Having to go through adversity like that,
we've become a close-knit class. I think having four great leaders in one class
has been a tremendous help to the entire team."
This strong
leadership has allowed the women's gymnastics team to perform well this season.
Now 13-3, the team heads into its last meet of the regular season this Saturday
night in Rec Hall and hopes to find success in the Big Ten tournament.
It will be
bittersweet for the seniors as they look back on their careers and celebrate
the future to come.
"I'm excited to see
all of the alumni coming back," said Konsevick. "My whole family is going to be
there. It's definitely going to be a lot of emotions and I'm just really
excited for another experience in Rec Hall."
Looking back on
their careers, the seniors acknowledge the progress they have made over the
years. Whether it is Konsevick's mishaps at her first meet, or Stine's tears as
she landed her bars routine, each young woman has made enormous strides both as
an athlete and as a person.
"The four years fly
by, but you learn so much about yourself," said Bencsko. "You learn who you are
and what you're about. I've grown so much as a person in my time here."
In only their first
season at Penn State, the seniors all made their first NCAA tournament
appearance with the team, as they finished fifth in the championship team
preliminaries. It was an appearance none of them will forget.
"My biggest
accomplishment was definitely qualifying to nationals as a team my freshman
year," said Ettl. "It's something that I never would have dreamed would come
true. Just being able to be a part of this team for four years has been
amazing."
Since that first
tournament appearance, the seniors have collectively won two Big Ten titles,
one NACGC First Team All-American title and four Academic All-Big Ten awards.
To say each effort was merely an individual honor would be wrong, as the
seniors are quick to point out the importance of team.
Even as coaches and
fellow teammates have come and gone, the seniors remain close in their bond,
anticipating the emotions that will be felt during this last home meet.
"I've built so many
relationships through my time at Penn State with the girls on the team," said
Stine. "I grew up knowing that I wanted to compete for Penn State gymnastics
and the first time I competed, I started crying. This last time at Rec Hall,
the same thing will probably happen. It's been an unforgettable journey."
We hope you all have had or are looking forward to a great spring break! Since we are winding down, and getting to our final competitions of the season, we got to stay in beautiful State College for break! It has been a ghost town, but a nice break from classes! Last week, we had a fighting finish in beating Michigan. It was a very high-energized and exciting meet. This week has been a great week in the gym! We have focused on our "mojo". For each stuck routine we got to blow up blue, white, and pink balloons. We tied ribbons around them and hung them on our mirror as a visual aid and reminder of how good we are and can be. This was definitely a confidence booster for our upcoming meet against Pittsburg.
Another thing we have been doing over break is community service. We went to the Relay For Life Bingo Night and helped put together and served food with the men's team. We had a great time learning and helping out.The season has flown by and we can't believe our freshman year is already almost over! It's unbelievable, but at least it is not quite over yet. We still have the most important meets of our season coming up. We are preparing and ready to make them the best ones yet!
By Laura Finley, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For many people the transition to college can be
a tough one. Krystal Welsh knows this.
It is why she came to Penn State fully prepared to take on academic courses and
gymnastics. Between studying for exams and working out every day during the
offseason, the freshman gymnast dedicated herself to finding the perfect
balance before the women's gymnastics season started.
Now, Welsh is a key contributor to the team as she competes in the all-around
title with four other gymnasts. As the only freshman all-around competitor,
Welsh has faced obstacles on her own, overcoming each with a strong sense of
accomplishment.
"Krystal came here knowing that she needed to be ready to go and I think that
was really apparent," said senior Whitney Bencsko. "She got here and was
prepared and I think that made her transition easier. She did a really good job
of adjusting and did everything that she needed to do to be ready when it
mattered most at the start of the season."
Freshman Lexi Carroll knows first-hand the small struggles Welsh has overcome
during the first semester of college. With the two teammates rooming together at
Penn State, they have helped each other navigate through the start of college
life.
"We both went through the same thing with transitioning to college," said
Carroll. "Krystal has definitely transitioned well especially being an
all-arounder. She's really determined and won't settle for anything. She always
goes above and beyond."
Welsh gives full credit to her parents and former club coach, Bob
Ouellette, in preparing her for the transition to the collegiate level. She
knows that without their support and guidance, it may not have been so easy.
"There's no way I could be competing at the level that I am if it wasn't for
[Coach Ouellette]," said Welsh. "Knowing that over the years he has believed in
me no matter what and that he has pushed me to improve has helped my confidence."
Welsh's gymnastics career started at the early age of eighteen months
when her mother signed her and her siblings up for lessons. Welsh recalls she
and her brother were the only ones who stuck to it, but one could say
gymnastics still runs in the family.
"My family usually tries to come to all of the meets and my parents
support me a lot," said Welsh. "They've been to every home meet and I love when
they're able to come, but it doesn't bother me if they can't. They've seen me
do it for how many years now? They know how I compete."
The women's gymnastics team knows how Welsh competes as well. With a
dedicated work ethic and no excuse attitude, the freshman has been able to make
constant progress in the gym, and it has not gone unnoticed.
"I think her biggest contribution is her consistency," said Bencsko. "She
might not be putting up those 9.9's yet, but that will come over the next few
years. Right now we know that she's a hit score and it's something that we can
count if there's a fault or anything. That's one of her biggest contributions
and that's huge."
This season, Welsh has competed as an all-around gymnast in each of the
eight meets Penn State has participated in. Thus far, her highest score was at
N.C. State, where she posted a 39.150 in all-around.
With these consistent performances each week, Welsh has proven herself
to be a vital part of the team.
"Krystal has been an overall great contribution to our team in all four
events this year," said assistant coach Jillian Monahan. "Not many freshmen
know what to do when they make the line-up in all four events. She's a hard
worker and when you give her a correction, she makes the change and does what
she has to do to be successful.
Looking to the future, Welsh hopes to continue doing well for her team.
With only three meets left until the Big Ten Championship, Welsh's next
obstacle lies in preparing for the postseason. Her team is fully confident in
her abilities though, as she has already overcome the transition of being a full
time student-athlete.
"She's there for us in four events at every meet," said Bencsko. "She's
reliable and we need that. Every team needs that."
I cannot believe that March is upon us. I remember looking at the blog schedule and thinking oh man I have a long time until my next blog entry, and soon enough it's March! This has been a very productive week for us girls. We took a different approach this week in practice after a slightly disappointing meet in Ohio. We came into the gym open minded, each with individual workout plans that were designed to help us with our confidence. By creating individual plans, this gave each of us the opportunity to do whatever we needed to do to boost our confidence on that event. It was not open gym, and it was not an opportunity to have a light week, and I believe everyone worked really hard and improved on the events in which they may have had doubts. I really love this team, and we really do have a lot of fun together. This week in practice showed how strong we are, and how determined we are to improve and perform the way we are capable of. I am very excited for the Friday meet at home verses Michigan and UNC. This will be another great opportunity to prove to each other, and our home crowd how hard this team works, and how ready we are. Though the season is moving fast and we only have two more meets after this weekend before Big Ten Championships, I know we will continue to strive to perform at our best knowing that we are a fighting team all the way to the end!
Hello friends, family, and fans! I hope everything is going well! I know things here are
going really well for us. We are at the half way point of our season and I feel like it has gone by so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was moving all my stuff into the dorms and was eagerly waiting to start classes and official practices. So, I guess it really is true that time flies when you're having fun! Right now we are on the bus going to Ohio State for a double dual with the men's team. This is the first time that we have done a double dual together on the road. It will be an exciting meet because we are going against the Buckeyes who are ranked 11th and we are ranked 10th. It is always interesting to compete against a Big Ten team because we can compare ourselves to them so we know what we need to work on before the Big Ten competition, which is in four weeks! We have two more home meets and one away meet after this one and then we officially enter post season. Summer is also quickly approaching as we have about two more months left of the semester; can't believe freshman year is almost over. Until next time... We Are!
it Back" with us! We don't even know where to begin. It has been such a great journey, and we all learned so much. Although the team's season has come to an end, we will send Sharaya off to Nationals with all our love and support as she represents Penn State with pride, passion, and purpose. 
