Jan. 24, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 4-ranked Penn State men's gymnastics team will visit the campus of the United States Military Academy this weekend in pursuit of its 14th-straight title at the 21st annual West Point Open. The meet will be held on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 27-28 at the home of the Black Knights, Christl Arena.
The team competition at the 2012 West Point Open is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. with the individual events finals set for Saturday, also at 7 p.m. The top eight finishers from each of Friday night's events advance to vie for individual honors on Saturday evening.
The Nittany Lions will vie with host Army, Temple, Navy, and Springfield College and club teams Brockport and Arizona State for the 2012 crown.
Penn State won two events as a team (floor exercise and still rings) and three individually (floor exercise, still rings, and high bar) but fell to Michigan, 340.300-338.450, in Ann Arbor last weekend. The Nittany Lions were dominant once again in the still rings, outscoring the Wolverines by nearly three points (59.650-56.750), headlined by event-winner senior Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) (15.300). Junior Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) placed first in the floor exercise for the second consecutive meet while junior Mackenzie Dow (Cranford, N.J.) won his third event through the season's first two weeks, claiming the high bar title with a career-high score (14.750).
At the 2011 West Point Open, the Nittany Lions posted a score of 348.400 to capture their 13th consecutive team crown, winning five events as a team and six individually. Three Nittany Lions, Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) (still rings), Mackenzie Dow (parallel bars), and Matt Albrecht (high bar), won titles on day two of the competition.
Next week, a Penn State contingent made-up of Miguel Pineda, Parker Raque, and sophomore Wasef Burbar (Arlington Heights, Ill.) will travel to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete individually in the prestigious Winter Cup Challenge on February 3 and 5.
The remaining Nittany Lions will begin preparations for an upcoming road dual meet at Springfield College, scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12 in Springfield, Mass. A year ago, Penn State downed the Pride, 352.300-316.300, in Rec Hall.