Minneapolis, Minn., March 20, 2004 - The 29th-ranked Penn State women's gymnastics team scored a season-high 196.625 to earn second place at the 2004 Big Ten Championships hosted by Minnesota. The finish marks the highest since the Nittany Lions took second at the 2001 Big Ten Championships. No. 19 Michigan (197.800) took home the championships crown while No. 17 Iowa placed third (196.500), Minnesota finished fourth (196.325), No. 25 Michigan State placed fifth (196.025), Illinois took sixth (195.400) and Ohio State claimed seventh (194.450).

Prior to the meet, junior Kate Stopper (Reinholds, Pa.) and sophomore Meredith Hoover (Dublin, Ohio) picked up second team All-Big Ten honors.

Penn State recorded scores of 49.225 on the vault, 48.975 on the bars, 49.075 on the beam and 49.350 on the floor for its season-high score of 196.625.

The Nittany Lions began the evening on the vault as freshman Corissa Pirkl (West Islip, N.Y.) notched a career-high 9.800. Freshman Genavieve Shingle (Langhorne, Pa.) posted a 9.825 before Hoover tied her career best with a 9.850. Stopper notched a 9.850 before sophomore Jennifer Orlando (Herndon, Va.) scored a 9.850 and junior Lisa Clark (Philadelphia, Pa.) posted a 9.875.

Rotation two placed Penn State on the bars and Pirkl posted a 9.700 before Orlando and Clark recorded scores of 9.775 and 9.025, respectively. Sophomore Michelle Ilg (Colonia, N.J.) scored a career-high 9.925, good for third place on the event. Junior Cecile Allen (State College, Pa.) notched a 9.800 before senior Kelly Streicher (Colorado Springs, Colo.) closed out the rotation with a 9.725.

After a third-round bye, the Nittany Lions took to the beam, with Shingle scoring a 9.750 and Pirkl posting a 9.800. Stopper tallied a 9.825 and freshman Ashley Mehrer (Richmond, Va.) posted a 9.800 before both Clark and Hoover scored a 9.825 to finish off the fourth rotation.

Following a fifth-round bye, Penn State concluded with the floor in the sixth rotation. Ilg posted a career-high 9.850 before Pirkl tied her career-high, also scoring a 9.850. Hoover notched a 9.450 and Stopper tallied a 9.850 before Clark posted a 9.900 and Orlando finished with a career-high 9.900.

The Nittany Lions now await the NCAA Regional Championships selection, which is announced following all of the conference championships. Penn State is the host of the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships on Saturday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Please visit the women's gymnastics homepage on Penn State's official athletic website, www.GoPSUsports.com for more information on the women's gymnastics team, including the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships.