UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — For the sixth time since 2000, the Penn State women’s gymnastics team was selected to host the NCAA Northeast Regional Gymnastics Championships. The Nittany Lions are honored to be selected as one of six hosts for the regional championships that were announced on Thursday, Nov. 1.
"We are excited to host the 2014 NCAA Regionals," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "One of the reasons we came to Penn Stats is because of its long standing tradition of hosting regionals and this continues that tradition. This is a chance for our fans to see some of the best gymnastics in the country. We will need their help to finish in the top two and advance to the national meet, which is our goal every year. As a regional host, it gives us the best opportunity to accomplish this goal."
Rec Hall has served as the host site for the NCAA Northeast Regional five previous times since 2000 and joins Fayetteville, Ark. (Barnhill Arena), Athens, Ga. (Stegeman Coliseum), Baton Rouge, La. (Pete Maravich Assembly Center), Minneapolis (Sports Pavilion) and Seattle, Wash. (Alaska Airlines Arena) as the 2014 regional hosts. Each site will each send its top two teams to the 2014 NCAA Championships that will be hosted at the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex in Birmingham, Ala.
Penn State will host the Northeast Regional Championships for the first time since 2010 – when they finished third overall – and has also hosted the event in 2008, 2004, 2002 and 2000. Six teams qualify into the regional, along with five individual all-around competitors and one individual event specialist in each of the five events.
The top two teams from each of the six regionals, as well as the top two all-around competitors not from an advancing team, receive a berth in the NCAA Championships. Also advancing are any individual event winners who do not qualify with their team or as a part of the all-around competition.
When hosting the NCAA Northeast Regional, Penn State’s been extremely successful, finishing second in 2000, third in 2010 and 2008, fourth in 2004 and fifth in 2002. The Nittany Lions last advanced to the NCAA Championships as a team in 2009 when they claimed a second place showing at the Southeast Regional hosted by North Carolina State. The Blue and White has seen at least one individual advance to the NCAA Championships during each of the last three seasons, with Sharaya Musser looking to make it four straight trips to the national meet in 2013. Date and ticket information will be provided at a later date.