March 1, 2014
431.500 No. 6 Minnesota |
University Park, Pa. • Rec Hall • Attendance: 681 | 440.200 No. 7 Penn State |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In the final home regular-season meet of the season, No. 7 Penn State men's gymnastics team outlasted No. 6 Minnesota to remain undefeated on the year with its sixth consecutive team title. The Nittany Lions recorded a season-high score of 440.200-431.500 in the victory against the Golden Gophers on senior night Saturday evening at Rec Hall.
Penn State opened the meet with a solid performance in the floor exercise, posting 74.550 to take control of an early advantage. Sophomore Alexis Torres (Catano, Puerto Rico) led the way with a first-place finish in the floor exercise, posting a score of 15.650. Junior Matt Felleman (Medway, Mass.) followed with a score of 15.150, tying him for second.
In the next rotation, the Nittany Lions recorded another solid showing, capturing four of the top five positions on the pommel horse. Fresh off his championship title at the 2014 Winter Cup Challenge, junior Craig Hernandez (Libertyville, Ill.) turned in a 14.900 score, good for first place. Redshirt junior Nestor Rodriguez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) tied for second with a 14.700, while redshirt freshman Leroy Clarke (Maplewood, N.J.) and senior Preston Gall (Columbus, Ohio) tied for fourth with a score of 14.500.
On the rings, sophomore Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio) took home an individual title, matching a season-high mark with a score of 15.750. Torres finished second on the rings, swinging to a score of 15.400.
On the vault, Penn State secured positions three, four and five, as Felleman led a trio featuring Rodriguez and Howard with a second-place finish (15.200). Rodriguez and Howard finished third and fourth in the event with scores of 15.100 and 15.000, respectively. The Nittany Lions' total team score of 74.300 set a new season high on the apparatus.
Howard captured his second individual title of the night with a season-high score of 15.200 on the parallel bars. Rodriguez joined Howard in the top three with a score of 14.850, which tied him for third.
In the final event of the evening, Felleman, Clarke and Rodriguez all recorded top three finishes on the high bar to propel the Nittany Lions to victory. Felleman's score of 15.100 ranked second while Clarke and Rodriguez each posted a score of 15.050 to tie for third overall.
Next up, Penn State will hit the road, traveling to Puerto Rico to take on members of the Puerto Rican national team in an exhibition-type competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico. PSU will compete Friday, March 7th before returning home to train for its final Big Ten showdown of the season at Michigan Friday, March 14th.