March 14, 2015
| NEBRASKA QUAD MEET | |||
| Sunday, March 15 - 1 p.m. ET | |||
| Bob Devaney Sports Center | Lincoln, Neb. | |||
Game Day Information:
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| MEET DAY LINKS | |||
| Live Results | |||
| VIDEO: Jepson Preview | |||
| Follow Us: @PennStateMGYM | Facebook | |||
| Meet Notes: Penn State | |||
| Statistics: Penn State | |||
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||||
| PSU | IOWA | MINN | NEB | |
| Team | 444.700 | 435.750 | 436.250 | 423.450 |
| FX | 75.800 | 73.500 | 73.950 | 74.050 |
| PH | 75.000 | 71.450 | 71.200 | 71.450 |
| SR | 76.350 | 74.600 | 74.850 | 70.600 |
| V | 74.800 | 72.800 | 72.300 | 73.350 |
| PB | 75.950 | 72.800 | 73.700 | 70.950 |
| HB | 71.300 | 71.950 | 72.750 | 70.500 |
*2015 season high scores
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With one meet left in the regular season, the No. 5 Penn State men's gymnastics team heads to Lincoln, Neb., to take on Nebraska Sunday, March 15 at 1 p.m. (ET) inside the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Along with No. 11 Nebraska, Penn State will be competing against No. 9 Iowa and No. 6 Minnesota. This meet will mark the first time Penn State has competed against Minnesota and Nebraska this year. Fans can follow along via Huskers.com for live results.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a second-place finish last weekend at the Puerto Gymnastics Challenge. No. 4 Michigan won the meet with its score of 431.000, followed by Penn State with a score of 425.100.
Penn State and Iowa will meet for the second time this year after Penn State won the first match-up a few weeks ago. The Nittany Lions defeated the Hawkeyes two weeks ago, 440.800-435.750, on Senior Night (Feb. 27). On the other side, this is first competition for Penn State against Minnesota and Nebraska this year. The Nittany Lions and Gophers met in 2014 on Senior Night with Penn State victorious by a score of 440.200-431.500, Penn State and Nebraska haven't faced off against each other in the regular season since the 2004 West Point Open. At the 2004 West Point Open, Penn State won its seventh-straight West Point Open title (214.625) and Nebraska placed second with a score of 210.900.
As a team, the Nittany Lions currently have the second-best score in the nation (444.700) compared to Minnesota's 436.250 (eighth), Iowa's 435.750 (ninth) and Nebraska's 423.450 (11th).
The Big Ten Championships are up next for the Nittany Lions in two weeks. The 2015 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships are held March 27-28 inside Rec Hall.
LAST TIME OUT
MARCH 6, 2015; SAN JUAN, P.R. - Despite posting five individual event winners, the No. 3 Penn State men's gymnastics team finished second (425.100) to No. 5 Michigan (431.000) Friday evening at the Puerto Rico Gymnastics Challenge at the Pedrin Zorilla Coliseum. The Puerto Rico national team finished third (395.700) and No. 18 Temple placed fourth (394.650).
"It was a really nice performance by Thad Lawson again, but we have to find some fight here towards the end of the season and get into championship form, because we are not in it right now," head coach Randy Jepson said.
As a team, the Nittany Lions won the still rings (72.950) and the vault (72.500) and they finished second in the other four events.
Freshman Thad Lawson (Chesapeake, Va.) continued his success in the floor exercise event as he tied for first (15.400). Lawson now has claimed four floor exercise titles in 2015. He also tied for third in the vault with his mark of 14.750.
Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio) won two events at the Puerto Rico Gymnastics Challenge. He tallied first-place finishes in the still rings (15.550) and the parallel bars (15.300). Howard also tied for fourth in the high bar (14.250).
In the pommel horse, Craig Hernandez (Libertyville, Ill.) won his fourth title of his senior year with his mark of 15.450. Also in the pommel horse event, Leroy Clarke, Jr. (Maplewood, N.J.) recorded a score of 14.450 to finish fifth. Clarke, Jr., also finished fifth in the still rings (14.700).
Tristan Duverglas (West Orange, N.J.) won the vault (15.050) for the Nittany Lions and he also finished third in the still rings with his score of 15.450.
LAST TIME AGAINST NEBRASKA
WEST POINT, N.Y.; January 30, 2004 - No. 2 Penn State captured its seventh-straight West Point Open Friday with a team score of 214.625. The Lions were paced by first-place showings from Kevin Tan (Fremont, Calif.) on the rings with a 9.725 and Chad Buzcek (Bridgewater, Mass.) on floor, who took first with a 9.400.
Tan finished the day third in the all-around after qualifying for the finals in three events. In addition to the rings, Tan scored in the top eight finishers on the pommel horse with an 8.900, and the parallel bars with an 8.500. The senior will scratch from the finals of both the pommel horse and the parallel bars and compete only on the rings on day two.
Buzcek made a strong showing in the all-around as well, placing sixth during the preliminary round. In addition to his top score on the floor exercise, Buzcek also finished among the top eight on the still rings (9.300- T 6th), and the vault (9.300- T 7th).
One other Lion finished the preliminaries on top of his event. Zach Roeder (Montrose, Pa.) scored a 9.500 on the pommel horse in Friday's competition, good enough for first. Roeder also tied for second on the floor exercise with a 9.150.
Other Lions who advanced to tomorrow's event finals include: Luis Vargas (Rio Pedros, P.R.) on the pommel horse (9.450- 2nd), parallel bars (8.750-4th) and high bar (8.900-6th), Steve Tobin (Cherry Hill, N.J.) on the vault (9.300-T 7th), Ed Seward (Aston, Pa.) on the high bar (9.250- 5th), Nat Eng (Cohoes, N.Y.) on the pommel horse (9.050- 5th) and Jerker Taudein (Eskilstuna, Sweden) on the parallel bars (8.700- T 5th). Tobin joins Tan as the only other Lion scratch for tomorrow, taking a pass on the vault despite his seventh-place finish.
Penn State won three events outright, the floor exercise, pommel horse, and rings, tied for first on the vault. The Lions finished no lower than the runner-up spot on any apparatus, taking second in both parallel bars and on high bar. With Penn State's total score of 214.625, No. 7 Nebraska finished second by almost four points in the team competition with a 210.900. Host school No. 11 Army was third with a 208.700.
B1G HONORS
During the 2015 season, four Nittany Lions have garnered Big Ten weekly honors. Craig Hernandez and Alexis Torres have both been named Gymnast of the Week and Thad Lawson has tallied three freshman of the week honors.
MARCH 9
Following his performance at the Puerto Rico Gymnastics Challenge, Thad Lawson was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week (March 9). This is third award of the year for Lawson.
Lawson and the Nittany Lions posted an overall score of 425.100 to finish second Friday night at the Puerto Gymnastics Challenge at the Pedrin Zorilla Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Michigan won the meet with its team score of 431.000.
Individually, Lawson tied for first in the floor exercise (15.400) and he tied for third in the vault with his mark of 14.750.
MARCH 2
On March 2, the Big Ten announced that Thad Lawson (Chesapeake, Va.) was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week and Alexis Torres (Catano, Puerto Rico) was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Week. This is the second career award for both Lawson and Torres.
Lawson won his third floor exercise title of the year against Iowa with his career-best mark of 15.700. His score moves him into fourth all-time at Penn State.
Torres, a junior, tallied five top-three finishes, an eighth-place finish in the vault and in the all-around, he posted the top score (90.550) against the Hawkeyes. Torres climbed the Penn State record books Friday night. He tied Tommy Ramos (2008) for sixth all-time in the still rings (16.000) and he moved into eighth all-time in the all-around event.
JANUARY 26
After capturing the school record in the pommel horse against Michigan, senior Craig Hernandez (Libertyville, Ill.) was named the Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week (Jan. 26).
Hernandez and the No. 4 Nittany Lions defeated the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines Saturday in front of 2,385 fans inside Rec Hall, 444.700-436.350. In the pommel horse event, Penn State posted a score of 75.000, which is the second-best mark all-time for the Nittany Lions.
Individually, Hernandez captured his second pommel horse title of the 2015 season with his school record score of 15.950.
JANUARY 16
Lawson and Torres were also honored by the Big Ten earlier this season following their performances at the West Point Open.
After helping the No. 6 Penn State men's gymnastics team to its 16th West Point Open team title on Jan. 16, Torres was named the Big Ten Co-Gymnast of the Week and Lawson garnered the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award (Jan. 19).
In the team finals, Torres placed second still rings (15.750), tied for second in the parallel bars (15.200) and finished fifth in the vault (14.350). Torres captured the still rings title in the individual finals with his career-best score of 15.950. His score of 15.950 moves him into seventh all-time at Penn State.
Lawson won the floor exercise event with his score of 15.300 and finished third in the vault with his mark of 14.600. In the team finals, Lawson posted the fifth-best score in the floor exercise (14.850) and the second-best score in the vault (14.650).
HERNANDEZ NAMED NISSEN-EMERY FINALIST
Senior Craig Hernandez (Libertyville, Ill.) has been named a finalist for the 2015 Nissen-Emery Award, as announced by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Wednesday afternoon (March 11). Hernandez is one of six finalists for the prestigious Nissen-Emery Award.
The Nissen-Emery Award is an annual honor presented to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in collegiate gymnastics. First awarded in 1966, the accolade honors the senior gymnast who has established a record of outstanding achievement throughout his collegiate career, while also maintaining a high standard of academic scholarship and sportsmanship.
Hernandez has garnered numerous awards throughout his Penn State career for his work as a Nittany Lion gymnast and in the classroom. On the pommel horse, he has been named an All-American twice (2013-14) and he is a two-time Big Ten champion (2012-13). During his freshman year, 2012, he was a NCAA finalist in the floor exercise. Earlier this year he broke his own school record (15.750) in the pommel horse with his score of 15.950.
In the classroom, Hernandez currently holds a 3.3 grade point average as a chemistry major. He has been named Academic All-Big Ten and a CGA Academic All-American three times.
He is also the 27th Nissen-Emery finalist in Penn State program history and the fourth consecutive Nittany Lion finalist since 2012. A total of six PSU gymnasts have gone on to earn collegiate gymnastics' highest honor, including the most recent Penn State award winner, Casey Sandy, who captured the top honor in 2009.
Each year, collegiate gymnastics coaches, student-athletes and accredited college gymnastics judges from across the nation submit their nominations for the award prior to the conclusion of the current season. Gymnasts receiving a 50% vote of confidence from the head coaches are then placed on a final ballot and voted upon by the coaches, team captains, Honorary Lifetime Members, and conference judges.
The award will be presented at the NCAA national championship at the University of Oklahoma during the CGA Awards Banquet, Wednesday, April 8, at 8 p.m. (CT) in Norman, Okla. The trophy is inscribed with the motto: "The true champion seeks excellence physically, mentally, socially, and morally."
The original Nissen Award was named in honor of George Nissen, a former NCAA champion, for his contributions to men's gymnastics. The award was re-named the Nissen-Emery Award in 1998 to honor Dr. Robert Emery, a Penn State graduate, who won the Nissen Award in 1969.
CGA GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
Junior Alexis Torres (Catano, Puerto Rico) has been named the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Gymnast of the Week (March 5). This is the first career award for Torres.
He picks up the honor following his performance against Iowa last Friday night (Feb. 27). Torres and the Nittany Lions closed out their final home meet of the season with a 440.800-435.700 win over the Hawkeyes on Senior Night.
Torres, a junior, tallied five top-three finishes, an eighth-place finish in the vault and in the all-around, he posted the top score (90.550). Torres climbed the Penn State record books Friday night. He tied Tommy Ramos (2008) for sixth all-time in the still rings (16.000) and he moved into eighth all-time in the all-around event.
SCHOOL RECORD MARKS
Individually, Penn State has posted 11 top-10 school record book performances during the 2015 season, including Craig Hernandez's school record score of 15.950 in the pommel horse.
As a team, Penn State has tallied 20 top-10 school record book performances in the 2015 season. The Nittany Lions have set the school record in the floor exercise (75.800) and the parallel bars (75.950).
AMERICAN CUP
Penn State junior Alexis Torres has been added to the field of competitors for the 2015 AT&T American Cup.
Torres will be representing his home country of Puerto Rico at the meet. Previously, Torres was a member of the Puerto Rican national team that finished seventh at the Olympic Test Event and he also competed at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China.
Last year, Torres was named an All-American in the still rings with his eighth-place finish (14.850) at the NCAA Finals.
Featuring the world's best gymnasts in a one-day all-around competition, the AT&T American Cup is the USA's most prestigious international invitational and part of the International Gymnastics Federation's all-around World Cup Series.
WINTER CUP
Craig Hernandez and Trevor Howard represented the Nittany Lions at the 2015 Winter Cup. Hernandez finished 12th on the pommel horse, while Howard placed 30th in the all-around competition.
ONE TO 350
Head coach Randy Jepson is one win away from reaching the 350 win plateau.
IN THE RANKINGS
Nationally as a team, the Nittany Lions lead the nation in the parallel bars (75.950) and they are also in the top three in overall score (2nd, 444.700), floor exercise (2nd, 75.800), pommel horse (3rd, 75.000), and still rings (2nd, 76.350).
Individually between the six events the Nittany Lions have tallied 15 top-15 scores. Craig Hernandez's (Libertyville, Ill.) school record score of 15.950 in the pommel horse is currently tied for first in the nation. In the parallel bars, Penn State has three of the top-five marks in country, including Torres' score of 15.700, which ranks second. Torres also has the second-best score in the still rings (16.000).
FOUR ALL-AMERICANS RETURN
The 2015 Nittany Lion men's gymnastics team will be led by four All-Americans. Craig Hernandez (pommel horse), Trevor Howard (parallel bars) and Alexis Torres (still rings) garnered All-America honors last year, while Matthew Felleman (high bar) garnered All-America honors in 2013.
PENN STATE TO HOST THE 2015 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP
The Nittany Lions will host the 2015 Big Ten Championship at Rec Hall on March 27-28. Tickets are available on GoPSUsports.com/tickets.
B1G PRESEASON POLL
The Penn State men's gymnastics team was picked fourth in the Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the conference office. Along with the preseason coaches' poll, Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio) and Néstor Rodriguez (Guaynabo, P.R.) were selected as "Gymnasts to Watch" for the upcoming season.
CGA PRESEASON POLL
The Nittany Lions entered the 2015 season ranked No. 6 by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). Penn State received one first place vote.
THREE IN A ROW
Trevor Howard won the 2014 Big Ten still rings, marking the third year in a row a Nittany Lion has won an event at the Big Ten meet.
IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY
The Penn State gymnastics program is all about family and there is one special connection within the Nittany Lion family.
Senior Sidney Sanabria-Robles transferred to Penn State after spending a season at LSU and one of the main factors in that move was being close to family. Sanabria-Robles competes for the women's squad, while her brother, Ismael Sanabria, is a part of the Penn State men's program.
SMART LIONS
The CGA released its list of 2014 CGA All-America Scholar-Athletes, and the Nittany Lions were represented with one first team All-American Scholar-Athletes and five second team All-Americans Scholar-Athletes.
In order to garner first team recognition, student-athletes had to achieve a grade point average of at least 3.50 while members of the second team attained between a 3.20 and 3.499. The Blue and White placed 10th as a team in the NCAA and fourth among Big Ten squads with a combined GPA of 3.024.
Adrian Evans led Penn State with first team Scholar-Athlete All-America honors as he had a GPA between 3.70 and 3.799.
Evans is a four-time CGA All-America Scholar-Athlete recipient and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. During the 2014 gymnastics season, Evans was named a Nissen-Emery Finalist, team captain, the recipient of the Ernest B. McCoy Award and the 2013-14 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient.
Dominic DiFulvio, Preston Gall, Craig Hernandez and Ingvar Jochumsson all garnered second team Scholar-Athlete All-America honors as they tallied GPAs between 3.30 and 3.399. Franz Card also received second team Scholar-Athlete All-America honors with his GPA between 3.20 and 3.299.
Last year, Evans and Jochumsson were both named First Team CGA All-Academic Scholar-Athletes, while Gall and Hernandez were on the second team.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Big Ten Championships are up next for the Nittany Lions in two weeks. The 2015 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships are held March 27-28 inside Rec Hall.