Feb. 3, 2012
Winter Cup Finals Live Scoring
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Penn State men's gymnasts Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) and Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) advanced to the finals of the 2012 Winter Cup Challenge based on their performances in preliminary competition on Thursday evening at the LV Sports Center in Las Vegas, Nev. The finals are scheduled for 10:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 4.
Based on the points program implemented by USA Gymnastics, Raque placed 39th and 40th, respectively, each with nine points. The top 42 competitors advanced to the finals.
Raque recorded two top 10 performances, placing ninth (tie) in the still rings (14.150) and 10th (tie) (15.550) in the vault, en route to a score of 80.000 and a 13th-place finish in the session II all-around. Overall, the two-time junior All-American placed 27th in the all-around.
Pineda, Penn State's senior team captain, had the Nittany Lions' top showing in the preliminaries placing eighth in the still rings (14.250). He finished 23rd in the all-around among session II competitors and 41st overall.
Sophomore Wasef Burbar (Arlington Heights, Ill.) competed in five events, placing 20th in the high bar (12.550), the event he earned All-America honors in 2011, and the pommel horse (12.150).
Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual events.
Performances at the 2012 Winter Cup Challenge will help determine the 15 men who will comprise the U.S. Men's Senior National Team through the 2012 Visa Championships in St. Louis, Mo. (June 7-10). The seven members of the 2011 World Championships Team retain their spots on the national team. The remaining eight spots will be determined based on the following criteria: the top-ranked all-around athlete who is not already on the senior national team; four based on the National Team Points System; two athletes selected by the Men's Program Committee; and one selected by the national team coordinator.