March 30, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
By Anita Nham, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Less than 24-hours after Penn State claimed the Big Ten conference title in a hard-fought battle, the men's gymnastics team headed back to Rec Hall for the individual event finals on the final day of the Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships.
Seven gymnasts from Penn State competed in 10 routines Saturday evening. Take a look at the amazing accomplishments from the Nittany Lions.
Trevor Howard
Junior Trevor Howard competed in four individual event finals, the most of any Big Ten gymnast and earned a spot on the podium on three occasions.
He seized the lone individual title of the night for Penn State. With a score of 15.750, Howard defended his Big Ten still rings title from the year prior.
"It's an awesome feeling," said Howard. "Being home and winning it, you can't beat it. There are so many great competitors out there and seeing routines, stick after stick, it definitely put more pressure on me, but it was still fun to go out there and compete."
Howard tied two other gymnasts for third place on vault with a score of 15.100. He also recorded 14.675 on floor exercise for fifth place and placed eighth on parallel bars.
In addition to all of these accomplishments, Howard was named the Penn State Sportsmanship Award Honoree, an award given to student-athletes who has distinguished themselves through sportsmanship, noble citizenship and good academic standing. Furthermore, it was announced that Howard was selected for the first team All-Big Ten team.
"It's always an honor to make the team like that," said Howard. "Just being able to represent your school and knowing you're on the first team is a huge success."
Matthew Felleman
With a score of 14.950, senior Matthew Felleman ended his Big Ten career with a second-place finish on high bar.
"It feels great because it's my senior year, my last chance to make a name for myself and for Penn State and to accomplish what we did today, it's an honor and I couldn't be happier."
After the championship, it was announced that Felleman would join his teammate Howard in being an honoree for the first team All-Big Ten team.
Felleman also earned the Big Ten all-around title Friday evening with a score of 87.200. It was the third Big Ten all-around title in Penn State history.
Thad Lawson
Freshman Thad Lawson was the only other Nittany Lion to compete in multiple events after qualifying for the floor exercise and vault event finals.
Even as a rookie, Lawson did a great job in both events. He placed fourth overall on floor exercise with a score of 15.000 and got ninth place on the vault after posting 14.775.
Tristan Duverglas
Senior Tristan Duverglas joined teammate Howard on the still rings' podium after recording 15.375 to claim fourth place.
"It's an incredible feeling [to be on the podium senior year]," said Duverglas. "This is something we've been chasing after for the past three seasons at Penn State and being able to do it my senior year and end it off with a great note, I really couldn't ask for anything more. It's an amazing feeling, especially being at home."
Leroy Clarke, Jr.
With a score of 14.450, redshirt-sophomore Leroy Clarke, Jr. tied with one other gymnast for fifth place in the high bar final and was able to join Felleman on the podium.
Craig Hernandez
Craig Hernandez ended his senior career on the podium Saturday evening as well by placing fifth on pommel horse (14.750).
After having to sub out Friday evening due to an injury, junior Alexis Torres returned to competition Saturday evening. He placed 10th at 14.425 on still rings.
Coach Jepson
"The weekend was just outstanding," said head coach Randy Jepson. "The guys just competed really, really well...Tonight, we can relax a little bit and the guys can unwind and rest in the fact that they're the Big Ten Champions this year, so that's exciting."
At the end of the championships, coach Jepson was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He previously won the award in 2003 and 2008 after claiming the Big Ten title in both seasons.
"I've got a great staff and a great group of guys and it's a tribute to our organization," said coach Jepson. "We're a family. From the guys, all the way up to the top, and I mean to the very top of Penn State. It's beyond me and the staff."
Looking Ahead
In only 11 days, the men's gymnastics team will be competing in the NCAA Championships in Norman, Okla, with hopes of winning the team's first national championship title since 2007.
"We still have a lot to improve on," said Howard. "Getting our hit ratio up, our sticks, that's going to be a huge factor in the NCAA's...and just trying to pristine all that we do in every event. We know [Oklahoma] is a good team and we're looking to take them off their podium and their pedestal, so we're ready."