University Park, Pa. — Alexis Carroll, Krystal Welsh and Alexandra Witt have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Penn State University and participate in women’s gymnastics in the 2012 season, head coach Jeff Thompson announced today.
"All three of these young ladies come from top USA Gymnastics Clubs, which have consistently placed gymnasts on the best NCAA women’s gymnastics teams, year in and year out," said Thompson. "These young ladies have trained their entire lives to reach this goal and we are proud that they have chosen Penn State. We are excited about the possibilities with the three of them on our 2012 roster and can’t wait to start coaching them next year."
Carroll, who trains at Hill’s Gymnastics in Gaithersburg, Md., is coached by Kelli Hill and was the 2010 USA Gymnastics Level 10 National Champion on vault. She was also the Region 7 Vault Champion and finished as the runner-up in the all-around competition at the regional meet. Carroll is a senior at Magruder High School in Rockville, Md. and is the daughter of Rich and Dori Carroll.
"Lexi is a powerful gymnast and a great kid from a great family. Her training with Kelli Hill has her ready to be a great all-arounder at Penn State," said Thompson. "She actually committed over a year ago. When we got the job, we were super excited to know that we had a National Champion coming to Penn State to join our line-up. Our team had a great time with her and her family this past weekend watching Coach Paterno get his 400th win."
Welsh, who trains at Docksider’s Gymnastics in Millersville, Md., is trained by her long-time coach, Bob Ouellette. In 2010, Welsh impressed with a second place finish on floor at the Region 7 Championships, while posting an eighth place finish in the all-around. She concluded her 2010 campaign with a sixth place finish on the uneven bars at the 2010 Junior Olympic National Championships. Welsh is a senior at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn, Md. and is the daughter of Jeff and Lisa Welsh.
"We are very excited that Krystal has chosen to represent Penn State University for the next four years. She verbally committed last year just before walking out onto the football field in Beaver Stadium. It was really fun for the new staff to hear that story as we were walking out onto the field with her and her parents this year."
Witt trains at LaFleur’s Gymnastics in Tampa, Fla. and is coached by Jeff LaFleur. She also comes to Penn State with an impressive club resume. In 2010, Witt produced a fourth place finish on both bars and floor at the Region 8 Championships, while posting a fifth place finish in the all-around. She concluded her 2010 campaign with a fourth place finish on bars and an eighth place finish in the all-around at the 2010 Junior Olympic National Championships. Witt attends Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Fla. and is the daughter of Barb and Jeff Witt.
"We were recruiting Alex while we were at Auburn, so I knew all about her gymnastics before she even contacted us at Penn State," said Thompson. "She had offers from many different schools, but hadn’t found the place where she felt like she fit. When we moved to Penn State, she realized that she could get the world-class education along with the coaches she wanted all at the same place. The rest is history. She is such a great athlete and is amazing to watch. I’m sure our fans are going to love her."
The Penn State women’s gymnastics team, which finished the 2010 season ranked 14th in the country, hosts four home meets in Rec Hall in 2011, including two double-duals with the Nittany Lion men’s team. The Nittany Lions open 2011 facing one of the top teams in the nation with a meet at Alabama on Jan. 7. From there the team travels to Michigan on Jan. 14 for a tri-meet with Illinois before returning to Happy Valley for its home opener against New Hampshire in a double-dual with the Nittany Lion men.