Jan. 16, 2017
ROSEMONT, Ill. - After capturing the floor exercise title at the West Point Open, freshman Favian Valdez (Kearny, N.J.) notched Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors as announced by the conference office for the week ending Jan. 15.
The honor marks the first of Valdez's career as he made his first collegiate appearance at the West Point Open.
Valdez notched three second-place finishes in the team portion of the West Point Open, grabbing a 14.300 on the floor exercise, a 14.250 on the pommel horse and a 82.400 in the all-around. The Kearny, N.J. native capped off the individual event finals with a floor exercise title nabbing a 14.500 and a fourth-place finish on the pommel horse.
The Nittany Lions open their 2017 home season Saturday, Jan. 21 at Rec Hall when they host a double dual with the women's gymnastics program. The men's team will take on Army starting at 4 p.m., while the women will simultaneously compete against Maryland.