University Park, Pa., April 14, 2006 ¨C Penn State head women¡¯s gymnastics coach Steve Shephard has been named the Northeast Region Coach of the Year from the NACGC/W. It is the first Regional head coaching honor for Shephard, who was also named the Big Ten Coach of the Year earlier this season.

Shephard¡¯s teams have made eight NCAA Championships appearances and his student-athletes have earned 14 All-America titles. Out of the gym, all 11 eligible student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten this year.

The Nittany Lions claimed third place at the NCAA Regional Championships last weekend at LSU. Penn State scored a 194.900 in the contest and senior Jennifer Orlando (Herndon, Va.) placed fourth in the all-around with a score of 39.100 and will represent the Nittany Lions at the NCAA Championships in Corvallis, Ore., on April 20-22.

Penn State also finished third at the 2006 Big Ten Championships on March 25 at Michigan State. The Nittany Lions posted a team score of 194.925, falling just short of first-place Minnesota (195.150) and second-place Michigan State (194.975).

Junior Corissa Pirkl (West Islip, N.Y.) shared the individual vault title, scoring a 9.800 while freshman Katie Perret (Colorado Springs, Colo.) claimed the outright uneven bars title with a 9.900. Sophomore Aslynn Satterfield (Boalsburg, Pa.) was Penn State¡¯s top finisher on the floor, scoring a second-place 9.875.

In addition, seniors Lisa Clark (Philadelphia, Pa.), Meredith Hoover (Dublin, Ohio) Orlando were chosen as First Team All-Big Ten selections while Satterfield was named to the second team. It was the second First Team selection for both Clark and Hoover and the first career honor for Orlando and Satterfield.

For more information on the Penn State women¡¯s gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.