Dec. 12, 2014
The event is scored by a panel of celebrity judges, with this season's crop featuring two former gymnasts and four current student athletes. The celebrity judges included; former gymnasts Kassidy Stauder (2011-14) and Natalie Ettl (2009-12), along with Greg Guers (baseball), Emily Hurd (women's soccer), Drew Klingenberg (men's soccer) and Sierra Moore (women's basketball). The event is scored on a 10.0 scale, and has become a fan favorite and a great way to kick off each team's competition season.
Ultimately the Blue Team earned the team victory, 291.35-265.70, but both programs took away more from the happenings than just scores.
The men's program used the showcase to give the freshman a glimpse into what competition inside Rec Hall will be like once the season kicks off on Jan. 11 vs. Army. It was an opportunity for head coach Randy Jepson to show his young team - 16 of his 25 student-athletes are either first or second year collegiate gymnasts - the level they will need to be at once the season begins.
Junior Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio) turned in a solid performance in the all-around, showing his All-American form on the parallel bars with a perfect 10.0 score from the judges. Senior Tristan Duverglas (West Orange, N.J.) turned in the highlight of the night when he stuck his vault to earn the 10.0 and send the Penn State faithful into frenzy inside Rec Hall.
Three perfect scores highlighted the night for redshirt-sophomore Leroy Clark, Jr. (Maplewood, N.J.), who was stellar on the pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars.
Freshmen Colin Coates (Emmaus, Pa.), Benjamin Cooperman (Southborough, Mass.), Joe Fernandes (Philadelphia, Pa.), Quest Hayden (Harrisburg, Pa.), Thad Lawson (Chesapeake, Va.), Quin Malm (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Noah Roberson (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Greg Tamargo (Kennett Square, Pa.) all competed for the first time inside Rec Hall on Friday night.
Three freshmen competed in the all-around and a pair of sophomore returned from offseason setbacks to training for the women's program. The four senior student-athletes were steady throughout the evening and the three newcomers showed they will have a quick impact on the Nittany Lions' program, with all of them competing in the all-around at the showcase.
Sophomores Tina Postiglione (Selden, N.Y.) and Nicole Medvitz (Paramus, N.J.) both enjoyed their first competitions since shoulder and knee issues, respectively, limited them throughout last season and during the offseason. Medvitz impressed with an uneven bars routine to close out the evening, while Postiglione's four events tonight were more than she competed all of last season.
Senior Lexi Carroll (Olney, Md.) battled two injuries during the 2014 campaign and returned in style at the Blue-White Showcase. She competed on three events and scored a 9.95 on the floor exercise and a 9.90 on the uneven bars.
The freshman trio of Lauren Li (Plano, Texas), Oni Timothy (Rochester, N.Y.) and Briannah Tsang (Vancouver, British Columbia) turned in eight scores of 9.90 or better, including a 10.0 showing on the vault to open the meet for Tsang.
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