March 6, 2009
PHILADELPHIA - The No. 8 Penn State men's gymnastics team used standout performances from a variety of competitors to gain a 347.550-332.300 victory over No. 11 Temple on Friday evening in Philadelphia at the Owls' McGonigle Hall. Four different Nittany Lions captured event titles while seven earned top three finishes.
Penn State won all six events as a team, establishing a season high in the high bar with a score of 57.950 without Casey Sandy (Brampton, Ont.), its top performer in the event. Getting some well-deserved rest, Sandy, the reigning Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, competed in just three events, placing first in the pommel horse (14.500) and second in the still rings (14.600), and parallel bars (14.600).
Freshman Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) was the star of the night for Penn State, though, as he claimed his first career all-around title with a personal season best score of 85.300. He won his fifth still rings crown of the year (14.850) and finished in third place in the pommel horse (13.900) and the parallel bars (tie, 14.200).
For the second consecutive meet, senior Shaun Antonio (Rio Rancho, N.M.) stepped up to help fill the void left by Sandy's absence. He placed first in the high bar (14.750) and second in the floor exercise (14.900), setting career highs in both events. Antonio also tied with teammate Miguel Pineda for third in the parallel bars (14.200).
Junior Noam Shaham (Kfar Saba, Israel) also provided solid contributions, earning a second place finish in the high bar (14.550) and taking third in the rings (14.550) and vault (15.700). Allen Harris (Lancaster, Pa.) was Penn State's other title winner, claiming first with a personal season high of 15.150.
The Nittany Lions get just one day of rest before returning to action on Sunday when they will take on host No. 15 William & Mary and No. 13 Navy in a 2 p.m. tri-meet at the Tribe's Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va. Penn State owns a perfect 14-0 record in its all-time series with William & Mary and a 49-10 mark against Navy. In 2008, competing without Casey Sandy, the Lions won every event as a team and individually to top the Tribe and the Midshipmen in a home tri-meet.
NOTES: Juniors Matt Greenfield (Villanova, Pa.) (third, high bar) and Nick Virbitsky (Harrisburg, Pa.) (third, floor exercise) recorded Penn State's other top three finishes...Sophomore Warren Yang (Nepean, Ont.) (high bar, 14.150), redshirt freshman Logan Wyman (Phoenix, Md.) (rings, 14.150), and Nick Virbitsky (high bar, 14.050) all set personal season highs in respective events...Penn State has more wins over Temple (73) than any other opponent in program history...For the second consecutive meet, the Nittany Lions set a team season high in an event while recording a season low in another.