| Freshman Casey Sandy has started his Penn State career with three consecutive all-around titles. Sandy and the Lions will next compete in the prestigious West Point Open on Jan. 27 and 28. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 25, 2006 - Freshman Casey Sandy (Brampton, Ont.) continued his impressive start to his collegiate career, winning his third all-around title in as many competitions in No. 8 Penn State's 206.650-199.150 upset victory over No. 4 Michigan. For his efforts, Sandy was named Big Ten Men's Gymnast of the Week for the second time in three weeks.
On the Wolverines' home floor, Sandy posted an all-around score of 54.000, the nation's highest mark this season. The total moved him into the No. 2 spot in the national all-around rankings, just .075 behind Iowa's Michael Reavis. Sandy placed first on the pommel horse (9.200), second on the parallel bars (8.300) and the high bar (9.250), and third in the floor exercise (9.000), rings (8.950), and vault (9.300). In addition to his all-around mark, four individual event scores (floor exercise, rings, vault, and high bar) either tied or bested a season high for Sandy.
Penn State remains on the road for its next meet, as the Nittany Lions travel to take part in the West Point Open, the largest and highest-level gymnastics competition in the East. On Fri. and Sat., Jan. 27-28, the Lions will compete against some of the nation's top gymnasts from James Madison, M.I.T., Navy, Springfield, and Temple. Penn State has dominated the annual event in recent years, winning eight-consecutive West Point Open team titles.