Feb. 12, 2011
Results
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The fifth-ranked Penn State men's gymnastics team recorded a season high score for the fifth consecutive week, downing No. 16 Springfield College, 352.300-316.300, on Saturday night at Rec Hall. The Nittany Lions established season best scores in the floor exercise (58.800), still rings (60.400), and vault (63.000) to secure the victory and remain undefeated on the year.
Penn State not only won all six events as a team but also individually. Sophomore Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel) led the Lions, winning at least a share of three titles. The 2010 Big Ten Freshman of the Year placed first in the pommel horse (14.800), parallel bars (14.700), and high bar (tie, 14.500). Sophomore Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) also contributed several strong performances, finishing in a tie for first in the vault (15.900), second in the floor exercise (15.000), and third in the still rings (14.900) and high bar (14.200).
Sophomore Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) continued his exceptional start to the 2011 campaign, helping Penn State uphold its No. 1 national ranking in the still rings by capturing his fifth title of the season with a score of 15.600. Junior Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio), the evening's winner of the Gene Wettstone Award, placed second (15.400).
Competing for the first time at the collegiate level in the parallel bars, freshman Wasef Burbar (Arlington Heights, Ill.) placed second with a score of 14.300. The former Junior Olympic national champion in the high bar, tied Aronovich for the title in the event with a season high 14.500.
Redshirt junior Warren Yang (Nepean, Ont.) won his third floor exercise title of 2011, scoring a season high 15.100. He also took third in the parallel bars (14.100).
Redshirt freshman Francisco Vazquez (San Juan, P.R.) had his best competition as a Nittany Lion, tying Parker Raque for first in the vault while placing third in the floor exercise (14.500).
The Nittany Lions continue both their road and Big Ten schedules next weekend when they travel to Champaign, Ill. for a 6 p.m. ET dual meet with defending conference champion No. 3 Illinois on Sat., Feb. 19. The Illini is undefeated heading into this week's match-up with 2010 NCAA champion Michigan in Ann Arbor, boasting a season-high score of 355.400. Penn State has lost two straight to Illinois, including last season's 354.600-345.950 setback at Rec Hall.