April 4, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- The Penn State men's gymnastics team may have finished the regular season with a record of 13-0, but if you ask them, their record is 0-0.
That's because right now, only one meet matters to head coach Randy Jepson's crew, and that is the Big Ten Championships, which take place this weekend in Minneapolis.
"The way we look at it our season starts now," said senior Matt Chelberg. "Most people don't remember who won which dual meet but they will remember who won a championship."
The Nittany Lions will be extra motivated when they take the mat this weekend, as they don't want their first loss of the season to come with a conference title on the line.
A win would be extremely meaningful for Chelberg and his six senior teammates, who have yet to capture a Big Ten Championship during their time at Penn State.
"The seniors on this team have yet to win a (Big Ten) championship, so this means a lot to us," said Chelberg. "All of us had choices of where we could have gone to school and we chose to come here because we wanted to win for this university."
While the weekend will be the final opportunity for a conference championship for seniors like Chelberg, some of the Nittany Lions, including sophomore Matt Felleman, will be making their Big Ten Championship debut.
"Last year I was injured so I'm really excited to be able to help the team out this year," said Felleman. "There's going to be a lot of energy but I think I'm ready for it."
After a regular season of dual meets, the squad is looking forward to the excitement and the buzz that take place at a conference championship meet.
The key, according to Chelberg, is to not let the excitement lead to pressure, which can become overwhelming.
"There's nothing quite like Big Tens and it can get pretty intense," said Chelberg. "There's cameras in your face and the fans get really into it, you just have to keep your focus and keep plugging away."
With the competition just a day away, the biggest advice Jepson has given his gymnasts is to not change what they've been doing all year.
At this point in the season, all the Nittany Lions can do is go out and give their best effort without trying to do too much.
"There's nothing more they can do to get any better at this point," said Jepson. "Trying to change things will only make us beat ourselves but I'm confident that we're a very good team and we just have to carry that confidence into the weekend."
Although it is undeniable that the Nittany Lions are a very good team, they know that they will be facing a number of capable squads in Minneapolis.
With all seven Big Ten schools ranked in the top-10 nationally, the weekend will be somewhat of a national championship preview for Penn State.
"A win here would certainly give us a lot of confidence going into nationals," said Jepson. "There's a lot of pride at stake [at the Big Ten Championships], but no matter what happens we'll have to face them again at the NCAA Championships."
Having beaten a number of the teams, including Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota, already this season, the Nittany Lions will have plenty of confidence going into the weekend.
They also will have a sense of familiarity, as their last dual meet took place at Minnesota two weeks ago.
"Staying at the same hotel and having the same drive to the gym will give us some familiarity," said Chelberg. "We'll see how big of a part it plays but every little thing helps."
Ultimately, the Nittany Lions plan on taking the mat on Friday with the goal to once again show the country why they're the top-ranked team in the nation.
For the seniors, there is no other way they'd rather go out than on top at their final Big Ten Championship.
"This is the last year for a lot of us," said Chelberg. "We're really focused and ready to top off a great career."
--NITTANY LIONS--