March 21, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- At the beginning of the 2013 season, Penn State men's gymnastics head coach Randy Jepson decided on a new method to motivate his team.
While Jepson knew that his squad possessed the talent and work ethic to compete for a National Championship, he felt as if they had to learn how to win, so he decided that each week he would focus on a different aspect of what makes someone a champion.
"I wanted to start outlining some things that you see in winners," said Jepson. "One of the biggest ones is to know and respect your opponent and to not take anybody lightly."
The Nittany Lions have kept this mantra in mind all year, and so far have seen it pay off with an unblemished record heading into their dual meet finale at Minnesota this Saturday (March 23).
Although the team is undeniably proud of their perfect 12-0 record, they have continued to maintain that they are taking the season one meet at a time.
"Coach [Jepson] has stressed to us all year that a champion doesn't look past anyone and never takes anything for granted," said freshman Trevor Howard. "Everything we do we break down to one meet at a time and then one event at a time."
Their success thus far, which has resulted in a No. 1 national ranking, has not come as a surprise to the squad.
Coming off a third place finish at last year's NCAA Championships and with seven returning All-Americans, the Nittany Lions knew they had the talent to compete with any team in the nation, according to senior captain Parker Raque.
"I knew going into the preseason that we had a lot of talent on our team," said Raque. "We just had to compete and as we've done that we've gotten better all year."
An undefeated season would be a remarkable accomplishment for this group of gymnasts, as the team has not seen such a feat since 2003.
Though the Nittany Lions admit that they have thought about what a perfect season would mean to the program, they are refusing to keep their focus on it.
"It's pretty far in the back of our minds, to be honest," said senior Scott Rosenthal. "It's been a while since we've had an undefeated season, but at the same time the only meets we're really concerned about are the Big Ten and NCAA Championships."
With the prospect of going into the postseason as the top ranked team in the country without a loss on their record a very real possibility, the Nittany Lions know they will have to be at the top of their game going forward, as the rest of the teams in the country will be extra motivated to knock them off.
Despite the added pressure of having a bulls-eye on their backs, the team has maintained that their mindset has not wavered.
"[Being undefeated] doesn't mean anything because every team is going to treat the NCAA Championships the same," said Raque. "They're all want to contend for the title no matter who qualifies for the championships and we're going to do so, as well."
In order to keep his team from getting ahead of themselves, Jepson has continued to preach the importance of staying hungry while training in the gym.
"Something coach always tells us is to train like you're in second place but compete like you're in first," said Rosenthal. "We know we need to keep working hard in the gym and that we can't let up."
For Jepson, seeing this particular group of men finish the year without a loss and with a national title under their belt would be extra special.
According to the three-time National Coach of the Year, few teams in his 22 years at Penn State have exhibited the dedication and perseverance that his group has shown.
"It means a lot to me because if you look at our lineup, we don't have that many superstars," said Jepson. "This group of guys hasn't gotten that much respect over their tenure but this year they've demonstrated that they can be a driving force."
--NITTANY LIONS--