When – Friday, March 1, 2024
Where – Rec Hall | University Park, Pa.
Time – 6 p.m.
Team Records – Towson (12-7 Overall) (4-0 EAGL) | #22 Penn State (7-6 Overall) (3-6 B1G) | #25 Ball State (11-2 Overall) (3-1 MAC) | West Virginia (4-9 Overall) (0-4 Big 12)
Live Stats - RoadToNationals
Live Streaming – Big Ten Plus
 
Feeling Happy (Valley)
The Tigers head to Penn State this Friday, March 1 for a quad meet with Ball State and West Virginia.
 
Rewriting the Record Books
Towson is coming off of a historical tri meet victory, where the Tigers broke the 197 mark for the first time ever. The Black & Gold dominated Temple and LIU on February 23, holding on to the lead throughout each rotation after posting 49's for all four events. The Tigers put up a program record 197.425 at the conclusion of the meet, capturing their 12th win of the season and fifth straight win at home. Towson is currently undefeated this season in TU Arena.
 
Towson broke its second program record of the night during bars, putting up a 49.450. Four Tigers logged scores of 9.850 or higher led by Isabella Minervini and Grace Vaillancourt both receiving a perfect 10.0 from one judge.
 
The third program record came from floor, where the Black & Gold wrapped up the meet with an impressive 49.650. Four of the Towson gymnasts in the lineup posted scores of 9.900 or better and two more Tigers, Retoshia Halsell and Elise Tisler, received perfect 10.0's from one judge. Both Tigers broke the facility record as they logged a pair of 9.975s, which marks the highest floor score posted in TU Arena.
 
EAGL Regular Season Champions
The Tigers captured the 2024 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) regular season conference champion title for the first time in program history following their tri meet win, announced by the league on February 25. The conference records for EAGL teams are determined by winning percentage of designated meets. Towson was the only team in the league to go undefeated in conference meets, winning all four designated meets against each EAGL team.
 
Career High Tracker
The Tigers have earned 39 career highs this season so far. Nine were added during the tri meet last Friday night. Elise Tisler (9.925) and Retoshia Halsell (9.850) matched their career highs on vault. Isabella Minervini (9.975) and Grace Vaillancourt (9.950) matched their career bests on bars while Camille Vitoff set a new career high of 9.900, which is the second time this season she has set a new career best on the event. Minervini matched her career high 9.900 on floor while Carmella Calafati set a new best for the second time this season, logging a 9.950. Halsell and Tisler capped off the night with career high 9.975's. 
 
It's a Weekly Thing
For the fourth straight week, Towson has earned EAGL weekly honors. On February 28, Isabella Minervini picked up her second consecutive Specialist of the Week award while Retoshia Halsell received her third consecutive Rookie of the Week honor. At the Towson tri meet on February 23, both Tigers received a perfect 10.0 from one judge on their respective events. The two gymnasts competed in two events a piece, setting four combined career bests which greatly contributed to Towson's program records on bars and floor. Minervini and Halsell also both picked up an individual win.
 
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State was projected to finish eighth in the Big Ten preseason poll, announced by the league in December of 2023.
 
The Nittany Lions have surpassed the 197 mark once this season, posting a 197.025 at a dual meet with Minnesota on February 3. Penn State is coming off of the Big Five meet, going head-to-head with Big Ten conference foes Illinois, Iowa, Maryland and Michigan on February 24. The Nittany Lions finished third with their second highest score this season, 196.775.
 
Penn State's strength comes from beam, where it has posted 49's at seven of the eight meets this season. The team is ranked 14th in the NCAA on the event with a high of 49.350, achieved twice already for the 2024 slate.   

Bella Salcedo and Amani Herring hold the team's top scores on beam and floor, logging 9.950s on both events. Ava Piedrahita, Maddie Johnston and Herring have the top vault mark of 9.900 while Cassidy Rushlow posted a 9.925 for the Nittany Lions top bars mark.
 
The Tigers last saw the Nittany Lions at the end of the 2023 season, where the two went head-to-head at the first round of NCAA Regionals in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Towson fell to Penn State, 195.450-195.700.
 
Towson - Penn State By The Numbers (Since 2013)
Series Record: 0-4
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-2
Neutral Record: 0-2
Last Matchup: March 30, 2023
Towson: 195.450, Penn State: 195.700
 
Scouting the Cardinals
In the Mid-American Conference preseason poll released in early January, Ball State was selected as the 2024 Tournament Champion favorites along with Central Michigan.
 
The Tigers last faced the Cardinals at the season opener on January 14, where Towson fell to Ball State 195.225-195.650 at Ohio State. Since then, the team has made history, posting a program record 198.025 at the following meet on January 19. Three gymnasts posted perfect 10's, helping the Cardinals earn program bests on floor (49.625), vault (49.375) and bars (49.775). Ball State is coming off of its second highest team score of the season, 197.425, recorded at a dual meet on Feb. 23 with George Washington where the Cardinals defeated the Revolutionaries by 1 point.
 
Ball State has solid depth, posting well above 49s on all four events. The team ranks 19th in the NCAA on vault, 18th on bars and 23rd on floor. Suki Pfister holds the team's top vault (10.0) and floor (9.95) marks. Megan Teter and Zoe Middleton hold the team's top bars score, both having posted 10.0's on the event. Grace Sumner, Hannah Ruthberg and Middleton have the Cardinal's best beam score of 9.900.
 
Towson - Ball State By The Numbers (Since 2016)
Series Record: 2-2
Home Record: 0-0
Away Record: 0-1
Neutral Record: 2-1
Last Matchup: January 14, 2024
Towson: 195.225, Ball State: 195.650
 
Scouting the Mountaineers
West Virginia is coming off of its highest team score this season, logging a 195.550 at a dual meet with Oklahoma on February 23.
 
The team's strongest and most consistent event this season has been floor, where it has logged three 49's so far. The Mountaineers highest score of the season comes from beam, where they posted a 49.275 on February 11.
 
Emma Wehry has the team's top vault and bars scores, logging 9.875 on both events. Jurnee Lane holds the top beam and floor scores as the only Mountaineer to have posted in the 9.9's on any event. She has highs of 9.900 on beam and 9.925 on floor.
 
Towson - West Virginia By The Numbers (Since 2012)
Series Record: 3-11
Home Record: 3-2
Away Record: 0-7
Neutral Record: 0-2
Last Matchup: January 29, 2023
Towson: 196.025, West Virginia: 196.375
 
In The Rankings
-Towson finished the 2023 regular season ranked 31st, which is the fourth highest ranking in program history
-Towson is currently ranked 34th. By event the Tigers are ranked 18th for vault, 29th for bars and 26th for floor.
-Isabella Minervini is currently ranked 7th in the nation on bars with an NQS of 9.925, average of 9.911 and high of 9.975.
-Towson is ranked first overall in the EAGL conference as well as first on vault, bars and floor.
-For individual EAGL rankings Elise Tisler ranks first on vault while Camille Vitoff and Retoshia Halsell rank fourth and fifth, respectively. Minervini ranks first on bars while Grace Vaillancourt ranks third. Tisler is fourth on floor while Carmella Calafati and Vaillancourt are fifth.
 
Next Time on Tiger Gymnastics
Towson has a quick turnover as it heads to Morgantown, West Virginia on Sunday, March 3 for a quad meet at WVU with Pittsburgh and Western Michigan University at 2 p.m.