Jan. 30, 2017
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Freshman Sam Zakutney (Ottawa, Ontario) earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for the week ending Jan. 29 as announced by the conference office.
The award marks the first of Zakutney's career and third-straight week a Penn State gymnast has garnered the honor as freshman Favian Valdez (Kearny, N.J.) won it the first two weeks of the 2017 season.
Zakutney earned his first titles of his collegiate career, grabbing three wins at Springfield College. The freshman all-arounder started with a fourth-place finish on the pommel horse with a career-high 13.800 and notched his second career-high of the day with a 13.500 on the floor exercise and a fourth-place finish.
The Ottawa, Ontario native secured his first podium finish with a third-place spot on the vault with a career-best 14.250 before sweeping the final two rotations of the day with a first-place finish on the parallel bars and a win on the high bar.
Finally, Zakutney secured his first all-around title donning the Blue and White with an 82.650. Overall, Zakutney set five career-highs and earned three titles for the Nittany Lions at Springfield.
Zakutney and the rest of the Nittany Lions will travel to Illinois to open Big Ten Conference competition Friday, Feb. 3 for a 7 p.m. dual with the Fighting Illini.