Aug. 9, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. - Thirteen members of the 2012 Penn State men's gymnastics team, 65 percent of head coach Randy Jepson's squad roster, have been honored as All-America Scholar-Athletes by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). Six Nittany Lions received first team recognition while seven qualified for second team accolades.
First team honorees attained at least a 3.50 grade point average while second teamers achieved between a 3.20 and 3.499. As a team, Penn State placed eighth overall in the NCAA and fourth among Big Ten squads with a collective grade point average of 3.078.
All-American Miguel Pineda (Galloway, Ohio) headlined the group of honorees. A first team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American and four-time CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athlete, Pineda earned the second-highest grade point average among NCAA gymnasts nationwide this past season. He was joined on the first team by Logan Wyman (Phoenix, Md.) (3.90-3.99), Adrian Evans (Boulder, Colo.) (3.90-3.99), Scott Rosenthal (Clearfield, Pa.) (3.80-3.899), Felix Aronovich (Kiryat Bialik, Israel) (3.70-3.799) and Preston Gall (Columbus, Ohio) (3.50-3.599). Pineda and Wyman are two of six gymnasts to earn All-America Scholar-Athlete honors in all four years of their eligibility.
Nihir Kothari (Malvern, Pa.) (3.40-3.499), Parker Raque (Louisville, Ky.) (3.40-3.499), Craig Hernandez (Libertyville, Ill.) (3.30-3.399), Matthew Chelberg (Athens, Ohio) (3.30-3.399), Mackenzie Dow (Cranford, N.J.) (3.20-3.299), Matthew Felleman (Medway, Mass.) and Warren Yang (Nepean, Ontario) (3.20-3.299) attained second team accolades.
A senior in 2012, Pineda possess a 3.98 grade point average in biology, ranking in the top one-half percent of his class. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Honors Scholar recipient and three-time CGA First Team All-American Scholar Athlete, Pineda was instrumental in the men's gymnastics squad earning back-to-back Varsity `S' Awards, an honor presented to the Penn State men's and women's teams with the highest team GPA. In 2011, he received the prestigious NCAA Elite 88 Award.
Pineda, a 2012 finalist for the prestigious Nissen-Emery Award, played an integral role in Penn State's success this season, captaining a Nittany Lion squad that placed third at the National Collegiate Championships and boasted seven All-Americans, the program's most since the 1959 national championship team. He served as a cornerstone of the nation's No. 1 still rings line-up, ending the season individually ranked No. 4 in the event with two title wins and seven top three finishes. Pineda also made significant contributions in the parallel bars.
Wyman is a four-time CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete recipient. Additionally, he is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, as well as a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. Wyman's career high in the still rings came against Michigan on Jan. 22, 2011 with a 14.300 mark. Evans, a rising junior, earned his first career All-America honor when he finished fourth in the pommel horse with a score of 14.800. Also at the National Collegiate Championships, Evans broke his career high in the pommel horse in successive days, first in the national qualifier and then in the team finals.
Rosenthal played an integral role in Penn State's success in 2012, helping lead the Nittany Lions to a third place showing at the National Collegiate Championships, the program's best finish since its NCAA title-winning season of 2007. The foundation of the nation's top still rings team, Rosenthal spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the event and was the anchor of the line-up that set the Penn State program record (62.400). In the 2012 season opener versus Army, Rosenthal smashed the individual still rings record, previously held by three-time All-American Tommy Ramos (16.000), when he scored a 16.300.
Rosenthal finished the 2012 campaign strong, capturing his first career and the program's seventh Big Ten still rings championship and then earned his second All-America honor with a runner-up finish at the National Collegiate Championships. For his career, Rosenthal has won 22 still rings titles and recorded 34 top three finishes in the event.
In 2012, Aronovich was a key member of a Penn State squad that finished third at the National Collegiate Championships, the program's highest placing since the Nittany Lions won their NCAA-record 12th national title in 2007. During the team finals, he secured his first career All-America award, placing seventh in the all-around with a score of 86.750. At the individual finals, Aronovich was one of six Nittany Lions to earn All-America honors, the program's most since 1959, placing fifth in the parallel bars.
A rising junior, Gall was a solid contributor for the Nittany Lions in the pommel horse and parallel bars last season. He turned in a career-high effort in the pommel horse at Ohio State with a 15.250 mark. He had five finishes of third or better during the 2012 campaign. Gall also had a career-high on the parallel bars with a 14.700 effort at the Big Ten Championships.
CGA First Team All-America Scholar-Athletes
3.90-3.999
Miguel Pineda
Logan Wyman
Adrian Evans
3.80-3.899
Scott Rosenthal
3.70-3.799
Felix Aronovich
3.50-3.599
Preston Gall
CGA Second Team All-America Scholar-Athletes
3.40-3.499
Nihir Kothari
Parker Raque
3.30-3.399
Craig Hernandez
Matthew Chelberg
3.20-3.299
Mackenzie Dow
Matthew Felleman
Warren Yang