Feb. 11, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 4-ranked Penn State men's gymnastics team will face its third straight Big Ten opponent this weekend when it travels to Champaign, Ill. to take on No. 3 Illinois in a dual meet schedule for 8 p.m. ET on Sat., Feb. 14. The key conference match-up will be broadcast by the Big Ten Network on a tape-delayed basis, airing one week later on Sat., Feb. 21 at 6 p.m.
Two weeks ago, Penn State suffered its first loss of the season, falling to Minnesota in Minneapolis, 345.850-344.500. The Nittany Lions won at least a share of all six events individually but season-low team scores in the pommel horse (53.650), vault (62.500), and parallel bars (54.800) derailed the Nittany Lions' efforts to gain a road conference victory. Senior Casey Sandy (Brampton, Ont.) won at least a share of a career-high five events plus the all-around (89.050). The seven-time All-American was dominant, placing first in the floor exercise (15.300), pommel horse (14.650), vault (15.850), parallel bars (tie, 14.350), and high bar (15.000). In recognition of his performance, Sandy was named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the second consecutive week and for the record-breaking eighth time in his career. Freshman Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) continued his impressive start to his collegiate career, claiming his third still rings title of the season with a score of 14.800.
Entering the fifth week of the season, Penn State continues to maintain a prominent position in the both the team and individual national rankings. The Nittany Lions, as a team, are ranked among the top eight in the nation in each event and hold the No. 2 spot in the floor exercise and vault. Individually, four different Nittany Lions holding 11 top 20 national rankings, led by Casey Sandy who is ranked in the top five in three of six events and is the nation's No. 1 all-arounder.
Illinois, led by 33-year head coach Yoshi Hayasaki, has competed in just two meets through this season's first month, averaging a score of 347.100. In its last outing on Jan. 24, the Illini defeated Ohio State in Champaign, posting an impressive team total of 351.950. Illinois' roster is loaded with talent and depth. It features defending NCAA high bar champion and three-time All-American Paul Ruggeri, 2008 Big Ten pommel horse champion Daniel Ribeiro, All-Americans Ross Bradley, Chris Lung, and Chad Wiest, and a group of gifted freshmen that comprised of the nation's top recruiting classes. As a team, the Illini's top events are the floor exercise (No. 3, 58.650), parallel bars (No. 3, 57.775), and pommel horse (No. 4, 56.100). Penn State owns a dominating 22-6 all-time record versus Big Ten rival Illinois. The Nittany Lions' 22 wins against the Illini are the second most against a conference opponent trailing only the 24 earned against Ohio State. A year ago, PSU overcame one of its lowest scores of the 2008 season, escaping Champaign with a 352.300-351.000 victory over Illinois. Casey Sandy claimed his fourth all-around crown, posting a score of 88.650. He placed first in rings (15.250), second in the floor exercise (15.050) and pommel horse (15.000), and fourth in the vault (15.800) and high bar (13.800).
Fans can follow all of the action from the Penn State-Illinois dual on the Internet with live scoring updates. Find a link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com.
After a well-deserved and much-needed week off, Penn State will host its first home meet in more than a month when the Nittany Lions welcome Big Ten preseason favorite, No. 8-ranked Ohio State to Rec Hall for a key conference dual meet on Sat., Feb. 28. First rotation is set to begin at 2 p.m. In 2008, Penn State used a season-high score of 360.550 to defeat the Buckeyes at St. John Arena in Columbus. Casey Sandy captured his fifth all-around title of the season and Vladi Klurman (16.250), Santiago Lopez (16.050), and Sandy (15.900) swept the top three spots in the vault to lead the Lions to victory.