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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After securing two consecutive team titles to open the season, the No. 6 Penn State men's gymnastics team will look to extend its winning streak this weekend at the Navy Open in Annapolis, Md. Last week, the Nittany Lions claimed their 15th consecutive West Point Open team title, while also picking up three individual titles. This week, Penn State will square off against Springfield, No. 14 Temple, No. 12 William & Mary, and tournament host, No. 15 Navy.
This weekend marks the second consecutive season that the Nittany Lions have competed in the Navy Open since 2003. Penn State has captured the team title in all three appearances.
Junior Matt Felleman (Medway, Mass.) secured his second consecutive title on the high bar at the West Point Open, winning by a score of 14.950. Ranked second nationally in the event, Felleman will look to continue his streak. Against Army, he set a season-high mark, swinging to a score of 15.550. Last year, Felleman took home the title on the high bar at the Navy Open.
Sophomore Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio) enters the weekend ranked within the top 20 on three different apparatuses, while also ranking seventh nationally in the all-around. Howard is also ranked third in the NCAA in the floor exercise, after posting a season-high score of 15.500 in the team finals at the West Point Open last weekend. He's also slotted eighth on the rings and 20th on the parallel bars in the latest national rankings. In 2013, Howard was the top all-arounder at the Navy Open.
Junior Tristan Duverglas (West Orange, N.J.), sophomore Alexis Torres (Catano, Puerto Rico) and redshirt junior Nestor Rodriguez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) are also nationally ranked in at least two different events. In last year's Navy Open, Duverglas secured a first-place finish on the vault.
Following his first individual title of the season in the floor exercise (15.100) at the West Point Open, junior Ismael Sanabria (Caguas, Puerto Rico) enters this weekend's meet ranked 11th nationally in the floor.
After the first two weeks of competition, the Nittany Lions are ranked within the top 10 in each team event. Within the top five, Penn State is second nationally in the floor exercise and third on both the rings and the parallel bars, after recording a pair of season-high performances in last week's team final at the West Point Open.
Next up, the Nittany Lions will return home from the road to host Temple Saturday, Feb. 8 in a double dual with the Penn State women's gymnastics team. The matchup is set for 4 p.m. in Rec Hall.
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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