University Park, Pa., Sept. 12, 2005 ¨C The Penn State women¡¯s gymnastics team, who ended last season ranked 10th in the country, will host three home meets and face perennial powers both at home and on the road during the 2006 season.
¡°We are very excited to compete against the top teams in the country this year,¡± said head coach Steve Shephard, who is entering his 14th season at the helm of the Nittany Lion program. ¡°We will see six teams that qualified for the national championships last year and competition against these tough opponents is good preparation for our team going into the postseason. We also have our traditional regional rivalries and the always-competitive Big Ten Championships. I¡¯m looking forward to this season.¡±
The 2006 slate features five of the top 10 teams in the country from last year, including Alabama (No. 2), Michigan (No. 5), Nebraska (No. 6), Florida (No. 7) and LSU (No. 9).
Penn State¡¯s home meets include a match-up with Alabama and Arizona on Jan. 14, a quad meet with West Virginia, Michigan and Cornell on Jan. 21 and another quad meet with Rutgers, Nebraska and Yale on Feb. 10.
The Nittany Lions take to the road to face Big Ten foes Minnesota (Jan. 28) and Ohio State (Feb. 25) in a meet that is a double-dual with the Penn State men¡¯s team. Other road meets include Arkansas (Feb. 3), New Hampshire (Mar. 4), Florida and LSU (Mar. 10) in Gainesville, Fla., and Pittsburgh (Mar. 18). Penn State will travel to East Lansing, Mich., for the Big Ten Championships on March 25 and will await announcements for the NCAA Regional Championships, slated for April 8. The NCAA Championships will be held from April 20-22 in Corvalis, Ore.
For more information on the Penn State women¡¯s gymnastics team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
2006 Penn State Women's Gymnastics Schedule (All times ET)
Jan. 14 vs. Alabama/Arizona, Rec Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 21 vs. West Virginia, Michigan & Cornell, Rec Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Jan. 28 at Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn., 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 3 at Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark., 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 10 vs. Rutgers, Yale & Nebraska, Rec Hall, 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 25 at Ohio State, Columbus, Ohio, 7:00 p.m. (DD)
Mar. 4 at New Hampshire, Durham, N.H., 1:00 p.m.
Mar. 10 vs. LSU & Florida, Gainesville, Fla., 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 18 at Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa., 7:00 p.m.
Mar. 25 at Big Ten Championships, East Lansing, Mich., 6:00 p.m.
Apr. 8 at NCAA Regional Championships, location and time TBA
Apr. 20-22 at NCAA Championships at Corvalis, Ore.
