| The men's gymnastics team celebrates their fourth place finish at the 2006 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. For a larger version of this photo, click here. |
NORMAN, Okla.; April 7, 2006 ?C Based on their standout performances at the team finals of the 2006 NCAA Championships Friday evening, two members of the Penn State men??s gymnastics team advanced to compete for individual glory in Saturday??s event finals. Derek Helsby (Orlando, Fla.) will compete on the pommel horse, rings, parallel bars and high bar while Tommy Ramos (Guaynabo, P.R.) will vie for titles on the rings and parallel bars. Performers that placed in the top 10 in each event qualified for the event finals.
Helsby led the Nittany Lions, winning the pommel horse en route to earning an impressive third place-finish and All-American status in the all-around. He also placed seventh (tie) on the parallel bars, eighth (tie) on the rings, and ninth on the high bar.
"I'm estatic about the all-around,?? said Helsby. ??I knew it would be a tough competition. It was a challenge with so many good guys out there. I couldn't be happier."
Ramos?? top finish was a fifth-place effort on the rings. He also placed ninth on the parallel bars.
The 2006 NCAA Championships will conclude on Saturday with the individual event finals scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
As a team, the Nittany Lions fell short in their bid to claim the program??s 12th national title, placing fourth with a score of 215.125. They finished third on the pommel horse, fourth on the rings and vault, fifth in the floor exercise, and sixth on the high bar.
"It was an outstanding team effort,?? said Penn State head coach Randy Jepson.
??They fought tooth and nail. I was hoping to make it to the podium and they did it. Helsby was amazing with career highs on multiple events. This is a great step towards NCAA's next year at Penn State. We lost so many seniors last year. This is more than I could hope for."
Host and No. 1 seed Oklahoma, spurred by the partisan crowd packed into Lloyd Noble Arena, captured its second consecutive national championship and fourth in five years with a score of 221.400. Illinois finished second (220.975) and Stanford placed third (218.375).
After a first rotation bye, Penn State began the team finals on the floor exercise. Senior captain Chad Buczek (Bridgewater, Mass.), who tied for fourth in the event in the previous day??s qualifying session, upheld his status as the team??s top floor exercise competitor, leading the Lions with a 9.125. Santiago Lopez (Cibola del Mar, Mex.) had solid passes through his routine, contributing a score of 9.100. Freshman Shaun Antonio (Rio Rancho, N.M.) and Vladi Klurman (N. Miami Beach, Fla.) improved upon their performances from yesterday??s qualifier, scoring a 8.975 and 8.950, respectively.
In their next rotation, the Lions moved to the pommel horse. Despite posting one of its lower team scores of the season, Penn State finished in the middle of the pack, totaling a score of 33.825. Derek Helsby was the only Lion and one of two competitors from any team to score higher than a 9.000. His score of 9.075 put him in first place; a position he would maintain for the remainder of the competition.
In Thursday??s qualifier, Penn State demonstrated why it should be considered one of the nation??s top team on the rings, as three Lions placed in the top five. Friday night was not much different. Tommy Ramos contributed a strong routine, earning a 9.425 for the Lions. Derek Helsby again came through for the team while at the same time improving his all-around position, recording one of his best scores of the season, a 9.350. Junior Matt Cohen (Agoura Hills, Calif.) (9.150) and freshman rings specialist Josh Borromeo (Littlestown, Pa.) (8.275) helped Penn State amass a score 36.200.
The momentum gained from its rings performance carried over to the vault, as all four of Penn State??s qualifying scores were above the 9.000 mark. An All-American in the event in 2005, Santiago Lopez led Penn State with a 9.225. Vladi Klurman continued to improve upon his scores from the qualifying session, recording a 9.150, just .50 shy of a career high. Nissen-Emery finalist Chad Buczek also scored a 9.150. Helsby contributed a 9.025, giving Penn State a team score of 36.550 and moving it into fifth place.
A strong team effort on the parallel bars provided Penn State with a score of 36.075, its second best mark of the season, and lifted the Lions into fourth place overall. Derek Helsby went from seventh to third in the all-around standings, thanks to a team-high score of 9.300. That mark tied his career high set this season in Penn State??s home win over Stanford. Tommy Ramos was strong throughout his routine, posting a score of 9.275, the sophomore??s second best performance of 2006.
The final rotation saw Penn State competing on the high bar. Helsby headlined the Lions?? effort, shattering his career high mark with a score of 9.475. Ramos contributed a solid score of 9.150.
For more information on Nittany Lion men's gymnastics, visit the official website of Penn State athletics at www.GoPSUsports.com.