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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; January 10, 2014 - The No. 5 Penn State men's gymnastics team is set to kick off the 2014 campaign, hosting No. 15 Army Saturday, Jan. 11 at 7 p.m. in Rec Hall. The matchup against the Black Knights marks the 12th consecutive year the Nittany Lions have opened their season against Army.
Penn State enters 2014 ranked fifth nationally, according to the preseason GymInfo poll, which is selected by head coaches from around the country. The Nittany Lions were also picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten men's gymnastics preseason coaches' poll.
The Nittany Lions will square off against one of its oldest rivals in the 74th meeting between the team teams. Penn State holds a 54-18-1 advantage in the all-time series, having defeating the Black Knights by a score of 447.850-404.150 last season. In the last meeting between the team teams, Penn State captured wins in five of the six individual events, posting the highest team total on all six apparatus. PSU has not surrendered a loss to Army in the last 11 consecutive contests.
PSU head coach Randy Jepson will lead the Nittany Lions in his 23rd season at the helm of the program. Jepson returns 11 letterwinners from the 2013 squad, highlighted by All-American individual NCAA champion Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio). All-Americans Adrian Evans (Boulder, Colo.) and Matthew Felleman (Medway, Mass.) are two more key returners. Evans, who was named team captain this year, earned his second consecutive All-America honor in 2013 after recording a 14.675 score on the pommel horse for a fifth-place finish in the event at the NCAA championship.
Despite some senior departures in 2013, Penn State's 2014 senior class consists of an experienced quartet featuring Evans, Wasef Burbar (Arlington Heights, Ill.), Preston Gall (Columbus, Ohio) and Ingvar Jochumsson (Kopavogur, Iceland).
The Black Knights return 11 letterwinners in 2014, led by Nick Miles, who was elected as the team captain this season. Army also welcomes six freshmen, who will look to make their first collegiate debut against the Nittany Lions this weekend.
Both season and single meet tickets are available for purchase. Season ticket packages costs $12 for adults and $8 for youth, while single meet tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for youth. Single meet tickets are available for purchase in advance at the Bryce Jordan Center and at the Rec Hall ticket window on the day of the meet. Group tickets can be purchased in advance for a reduced rate of $4 per ticket. Fans can catch all the action from Rec Hall with live scoring updates, which will be available on www.GoPSUSports.com.
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