Lions looking forward

Two days after Penn State sophomore Brandi Personett finished top-5 nationally on balance beam — promptly ending the 2008 season — coach Steve Shephard said the season was bittersweet.

Shephard said it was nice to have Personett represent Penn State and make the finals on beam. But a mere 0.075 more points in the NCAA regional meet would’ve sent the rest of the team to nationals with Personett.

“[Sending an individual] is not our goal as a program,” Shephard said. “Our goal is to send the whole team. That’s what we expect, and that’s what we’re gonna continue to strive for.”

In 2009, the Nittany Lions return 10 of 12 gymnasts from this year’s team. None of those 10 will be seniors next year.

While Personett’s accomplishments grab headlines, there were other surprises within this young team. Freshman Danielle Hover entered the Penn State program as a walk-on and averaged above 9.600 on all three events she competed in and will be a scholarship athlete next season because the team held a scholarship from this year’s recruiting class.

“It was awesome to hear, really,” Hover said. “What made it the best was when I walked-on here, [Shephard] said I could earn the scholarship if I did certain things. It was nice to know that he was true to his word.”

Hover said the pressure to perform as a scholarship athlete will be tougher to cope with. But the Lions’ roster will be anchored by the talented junior class competing with a chip on its shoulder, as it has missed nationals by a combined 0.125 points the last two seasons.

Right after the team’s season ended at regionals, Hover said the team made it a point to never fall short of nationals again.

She said some recruits even saw their tears and agony after a season that ended prematurely.

“The first thing I said to them was, ‘You don’t want to have to feel that feeling ever again,’ ” Hover said.

Personett said over two-thirds of next year’s team will have experienced the disappointment of watching Denver get a nationals bid ahead of them two years in a row.

“We talked a lot about the situation being what it is and how close we were,” Shephard said. “If this doesn’t light a fire in their belly, nothing will.”