Jan. 15, 2010
Team Results
Floor Exercise Results
Pommel Horse Results
Still Rings Results
Vault Results
Parallel Bars Results
High Bar Results
All-Around Results
WEST POINT, N.Y. - The sixth-ranked Penn State men's gymnastics team reigned again as champions of the West Point Open, compiling a score of 349.850 to capture its 12th consecutive title on Friday night at host Army's Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y.
The Nittany Lions continued their dominance of east region teams, topping Temple (338.700), Springfield College (329.00), Army (321.850), and Navy (317.75) in addition to club teams Brockport (263.800) and M.I.T. (243.350) to gain the 2010 West Point Open crown. Penn State won four events as a team and six different Nittany Lions secured at least a share of an event title.
A year after winning his first career all-around at the West Point Open, Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) shined again, leading a Nittany Lion top-three sweep in the still rings. The sophomore won the event with a score of 15.000 while freshman Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) and redshirt sophomore Colin Hill (Sterling, Mass.) placed second and third, respectively.
Penn State dominated in the floor exercise as well, finishing 1-2-3 in the event. Senior Nick Virbitsky (Harrisburg, Pa.) and freshman Nick Grant (Butler, Pa.) tied for the top spot with a score of 15.100 while senior Noam Shaham (Kfar Saba, Israel) placed third (14.950). Shaham also claimed one of Penn State's five title wins, taking first in the vault, earning a 15.850.
Freshman Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel), the reigning Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, built on his impressive start to his collegiate career, winning a second consecutive pommel horse title with a score of 14.800. Another freshman, Tony Beck (Catasauqua, Pa.), took second (14.750).
Redshirt freshman Philip Harris (Lancaster, Pa.), competing for just the second time as a Nittany Lion, won his first career event, capturing the parallel bars title with a score of 14.450.
Freshman Matt Chelberg (Athens, Ohio) (81.900) and junior Matt Albrecht (Guelph, Ont.) (81.750) competed in the all-around, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. Chelberg's top event was the high bar (2nd, 14.100) while Albrecht's best showing was a third place finish in the parallel bars (14.250).
Competition at the West Point Open resumes on Sat., Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. with the individual event finals. The top eight finishers from each of Friday night's events advance to vie for individual honors on Saturday evening. The complete list of Penn State gymnasts who have qualified is as follows:
Floor Exercise: Nick Virbitsky, Nick Grant, Noam Shaham
Pommel Horse: Felix Aronovich, Tony Beck, Mackenzie Dow
Rings: Miguel Pineda, Scott Rosenthal, Colin Hill
Vault: Noam Shaham, Nick Grant, Mackenzie Dow
Parallel Bars: Matt Albrecht, Philip Harris, Felix Aronovich
High Bar: Matt Chelberg, Mackenzie Dow, Matt Greenfield