Madison Merriam Class: Junior Hometown: Gaithersburg, Md. High School: Magruder Height: 5-8 Event: AA

Lion Career
2011 (Sophomore): Second Team All-Big Ten ... Academic All-Big Ten ... competed in every meet on vault and bars, 10 meets on floor, eight meets on beam and eight meets in the all-around ... averaged a 9.788 on vault, a 9.796 on bars, a 9.553 on beam, a 9.835 on floor and a 39.056 in the all-around ... finished in the top three on vault on five occasions ... scored a 9.800 or better in seven meets ... posted a career-best 9.925 for the title at Maryland with Rutgers and William & Mary (2/18) ... placed in the top five on bars in six meets ... scored a 9.800 or better in six meets, including a career-high 9.925 for second place at Maryland (2/18) ... won the uneven bars title at West Virginia (3/12) ... placed third with a 9.850 at the Big Ten Championship (3/19) and NCAA Regionals (4/2) ... scored a season-high 9.800 on beam, good enough for third place at West Virginia (3/12) ... placed in the top five on floor at seven meets, including earning three titles ... earned a career-high 9.925 for the crown vs. Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Bridgeport (2/26) and again at the Big Ten Championship ... finished in the top five in the all-around in seven of eight meets ... posted a career-best 39.475 for second place at Maryland with Rutgers and William & Mary (2/18) ... earned the Ann Carr Award for most inspirational performance vs. New Hampshire (1/22).

2010 (Freshman): Competed in 12 of 13 meets for the Nittany Lions, including six meets in the all-around ... averaged 9.718 on vault (seven meets), 9.645 on bars (10 meets), 9.383 on beam (six meets), 9.763 on floor (12 meets) and 38.450 in the all-around ... finished in the top five on vault on three occasions ... scored a 9.750 in five of seven meets ... posted a 9.875 for fifth place at Utah (3/12) and again for fourth place vs. Nebraska ... finished in the top five event finishers on bars three times, including taking top honors at Ohio State (2/27) ... scored a season-high 9.875 for fourth place vs. Illinois (2/6) ... placed fifth with a 9.850 at the Big Ten Championships (3/27) ... posted a season-high 9.825 on beam vs. Maryland, Michigan and Bridgeport (3/7) ... finished in the top five on floor five times, including three top three finishes ... scored a 9.850 four times, including at the Big Ten Championships (3/27) and the NCAA Regional Championships (4/10) to place fifth ... scored a season-high 39.100 in the all-around at the Big Ten Championships (3/27).

High School/Club
Was a member of Hill's Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, Md. under the direction of Kelli Hill ... was a five-time national qualifier ... was the 2006 regional beam champion and 2007 Maryland state bar champion ... in 2008, finished seventh in the all-around, ninth on vault and sixth on floor at Nationals ... was a member of the Region 7 Senior A National Championship Team ... finished second on bars at Regionals and second on vault, bars and floor at Maryland States ... in 2009, was the National Bar Champion, while also placing second on beam and 10th on vault ... placed second on bars and third on vault, floor and in the all-around at Regionals ... was the Maryland state bars and floor champion and finished second on vault and beam.

Personal
Born Madison Nicole Merriam on June 27, 1991 in Gaithersburg, Md. ... parents are Jim and Cindy Merriam ... has two sisters, Reilly (15) and Shaye (13), and one brother, Jamie (17) ... Majoring in public relations and minoring in both Spanish and business ... Names Jack Johnson as her favorite entertainer, English as her favorite school subject, Michael Jordan as her favorite athlete, Hawaiian pizza as her favorite food, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as her favorite book, "True Blood" as her favorite televison show, "500 Days of Summer" as favorite movie, Ryan Reynolds as her favorite actor, Katherine Heigle as her favorite actress and the beach as her favorite place to visit... her goals for the season are "to go into every routine with confidence, help my team win Big Tens and go to NCAAs.

Why Penn State
"I chose Penn State because it is the best school all around for what I wanted academically and athletically. I also fell in love with the school when I came to visit."

Quoting Coach Thompson
"Maddie is coming off a second place finish in the all-around at the 2011 Big Ten Championships, and has improved immensely since that time. We look for her to lead the team by her performance and fully expect her to be one of our brightest stars."

Madison's Favorite Quote
"Believe you can and you're half way there." ~Theodore Roosevelt