March 8, 2009
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Competing without its top gymnast, reigning Big Ten and NCAA All-Around champion Casey Sandy (Brampton, Ont.), the Penn State men's gymnastics team posted its second highest team score of the season, a 347.850, to claim decisive wins over host No. 15 William & Mary (340.050) and No. 13 Navy (336.450) on Sunday afternoon at the Tribe's Kaplan Arena in Williamsburg, Va. The competition was the Nittany Lions' second in three days, after defeating Temple, 347.550-332.300, on Friday evening in Philadelphia.
After winning the all-around crown at the Elite Canada 2009, claiming three titles in a home win over Ohio State, and placing first in the pommel horse in a road dual against Temple, all in the span of just seven days, Sandy was given a well-deserved day off. In his absence, other Nittany Lions stepped up and took advantage of the opportunity to shine. Foremost on that list was junior Allen Harris (Lancaster, Pa.). He set a team season high (15.450) in winning his second consecutive floor exercise title and tied a personal season best in taking first in the vault (15.700).
For the second straight meet, Penn State established a season high in the high bar, breaking the mark versus William & Mary and Navy it had set on Friday against Temple by tallying a score of 58.500. Junior Noam Shaham (Kfar Saba, Israel) used a season high score of 14.950 to tie for first in the event. He also performed well elsewhere, placing second in the floor exercise (14.800) and the vault (15.550). Shaham also took third in the all-around (85.150).
Freshman Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) added another achievement to his successful rookie campaign, capturing his sixth still rings title of the year with a score of 15.050. He also placed third in the parallel bars (tie, 14.200), fourth in the vault (15.300) and high bar (14.500), and fifth in the pommel horse (14.050) en route to second place showing in the all-around with a personal season high score of 86.750.
The Nittany Lions will return home next weekend to host No. 3 Cal in a 7 p.m. dual meet on Sat., March 14 at Rec Hall. For seniors Casey Sandy, Josh Borromeo (Littlestown, Pa.), and Shaun Antonio (Rio Rancho, N.M.) it will be their final home appearance in a Nittany Lion uniform. The trio will be honored in a special ceremony following the meet. A year ago, Penn State fell to the Golden Bears, 360.550-351.300, in Berkeley, Calif.
NOTES: Redshirt freshman Logan Wyman (Phoenix, Md.) established a season and career high mark in the still rings for the second consecutive meet, placing third with a score of 14.150...Junior Matt Greenfield (Villanova, Md.) earned his second straight third place finish in the high bar. His score of 14.600 was a personal season high...Redshirt freshman Colin Hill (Sterling, Mass.) competed in three events (still rings, vault, parallel bars), the most of his career for a single meet...Sophomore Warren Yang (Nepean, Ont.) earned his first ever top three finish in the vault, placing third with a score of 15.450.