Athletics

Three Penn State women's gymnasts earn All-Big Ten honors

Emma Sibson Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- After claiming a second place showing in last weekend's B1G Five Meet the Penn State women's gymnastics program had three gymnasts named to the All-Big Ten team as announced by the conference office today. Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles (Caguas, Puerto Rico), sophomore Emma Sibson (Allen, Texas) and freshman Briannah Tsang (Vancouver, British Columbia) all earned second-team honors for their efforts in 2015.

"This is exciting news for our program," said head coach Jeff Thompson. "Having three gymnasts recognized on the second team shows that even though we don't have one superstar, we have a group of student-athletes that focus on doing what it best for our team. These awards are a result of all the hard work these three put in all season in the gym to help our team attain consistent scores throughout the competition season.

"The all-conference teams are a result of putting together quality routines throughout the entire season, which result in high regional qualifying scores. We are excited to have these honors added to our rich tradition and will use them to spur us on as we move into the championship portion of our schedule this weekend at the Big Ten Championships."

Sanabria-Robles makes her second straight appearance on the All-Big Ten second team after finishing 10th in the Big Ten with a 39.360 regional qualifying score in the all-around. The senior is the team leader on the uneven bars and balance beam this season and owns a season-best of 9.900 or better on three of the four events. Her season-high of 9.950 on the balance beam is tied for the second best score in the conference this season and her 9.870 RQS on the event ranks 29th nationally.

The Caguas, Puerto Rico, native won seven individual event titles and claimed three all-around championships this season. She claimed uneven bars titles in a quad-meet vs. Cornell, New Hampshire & Rutgers, at No. 8 Nebraska, vs. No. 24 Ohio State and at Pittsburgh, while winning the balance beam at No. 14 Illinois, vs. No. 24 Ohio State and in a quad-meet vs. Brockport, Iowa State & Penn. Her all-around titles included a career-high 39.500 at No. 14 Illinois and wins vs. the Buckeyes and Panthers.

After an impressive freshman season, Sibson enjoyed a superb sophomore campaign to collect her first All-Big Ten honors. She finished the regular season ranked among the top-20 in the Big Ten on a pair of events and competed in her first two career all-around competitions. She ranks second on the team with a 9.850 RQS on the floor exercise and is third on the squad with a 9.870 RQS on the vault. Her vault total sits tied for 55th nationally and her season-best score of 9.925 ranks third on the team.

Sibson won four event titles during the season, claiming three titles on the vault and winning her first career floor exercise crown. Her career-best 9.950 score on the floor exercise at West Virginia topped the field and ranks fourth in the Big Ten this season. The Allen, Texas, native also nabbed individual crowns vs. No. 24 Michigan State, in a quad-meet vs. Brockport, Iowa State & Penn, and at West Virginia on the vault.

Tsang capped her freshman season by earning second-team All-Big Ten. She ranks among the top-20 in the Big Ten on all four apparatus and finished the regular season ninth overall with a RQS of 39.380 in the all-around. Her regional qualifying score of 9.890 on the vault sits 30th nationally and sixth in the conference. She also won four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors, which are the most in Penn State history and ranks second in the Big Ten behind Michigan's Brianna Brown's five this season.

She wrote her name into the Penn State record books on three occasions, twice on the vault and once on the balance beam, claimed 11 individual event titles and won four all-around competitions during the regular season. She won four titles on the vault, three on the balance beam & floor exercise, and one on the uneven bars. Her season-high score of 9.950 on the vault is tied for third in the conference, while her 9.950 on the balance beam is also tied for third among Big Ten gymnasts.

Penn State will open the championship portion of its schedule on March 21 at 4:30 p.m. in Ann Arbor, Mich. at the Big Ten Championships. The Nittany Lions will compete in the evening session of the event with Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska and Ohio State. The Big Ten Championships will air live on the Big Ten Network.

2015 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics All-Conference

FIRST-TEAM ALL-BIG TENMary Jane Horth, IllinoisSunny Kato, IllinoisGiana O'Connor, IllinoisNicole Artz, MichiganBrianna Brown, MichiganTalia Chiarelli, MichiganSachi Sugiyama, MichiganLisa Burt, Michigan StateElena Lagoski, Michigan StateLindsay Mable, MinnesotaHollie Blanske, NebraskaJessie DeZiel, Nebraska

SECOND-TEAM ALL-BIG TENSydney Hoerr, IowaStephanie Giameo, MarylandKaren Tang, MarylandBrooke Parker, MichiganCierra Tomson, MinnesotaAshley Lambert, NebraskaDesire' Stephens, NebraskaAlexis Mattern, Ohio StateSidney Sanabria-Robles, Penn StateBriannah Tsang, Penn StateEmma Sibson, Penn State

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Last Updated March 19, 2015