Feb. 11, 2017
By Tom Shively, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - In a sport such as gymnastics, it's not always about the final score. It's a competition to prove yourself, and the Nittany Lions were a perfect example of that on Saturday afternoon in Rec Hall.
Although Penn State came up short against the Ohio State Buckeyes by less than two points, 419.150-417.750, the Nittany Lions made a statement to themselves and the rest of the country that this team will be a threat every night moving forward.
"These guys should feel very confident," head coach Randy Jepson said. "They [Ohio State] have a couple national team guys on their team, guys that have been on the junior team before. We just went toe-to-toe with them and I'm really thrilled with the heart that our guys showed. We didn't win on the scoreboard, but we won a lot in our own hearts today."
One of the bright spots for Penn State was freshman Sam Zakutney, who put together career-high routines on parallel bars and high bar, as well as beating his previous all-around high score by almost two whole points.
After a near-perfect performance on the high bar, Zakutney crisply stuck his landing and flexed in celebration as he knew he had nailed his routine. It was the final performance of the day, and Zakutney's reaction was about more than just killing his routine.
"I was absolutely blown away," Zakutney said on what was going through his mind the moment he celebrated. "So much tension throughout those entire two hours of competing completely let loose all at once, and it was the best feeling ever."
Zakutney was the only gymnast on either team to compete in all six events, something that didn't phase him in the slightest, especially in the final two rotations. Fatigue would have set in for most people, but Zakutney pushed through and earned the aforementioned career highs.
"I definitely tried to embrace the amount of positive vibes in the competition area," Zakutney said. "It usually puts me down because I feel like I have more pressure on myself, but today I just trusted my ability and used my good teammates to help me through."
Dominic DiFulvio also put together a strong performance for the Lions, putting up the highest score on the team in rings and on the floor exercise. Despite the success, he still wasn't pleased with his overall day, citing consistency as something he needs to work on going forward.
"I thought my performance was okay, floor definitely wasn't my best showing," DiFulvio said. "I guess I just kind of got the jitters out there, which was not normal. I thought [rings] went really well, just have to work on landings in the gym."
Despite knowing there are areas to improve, overall the team is confident moving forward.
More than anything, the performance gave the team some swagger moving forward, knowing they can compete with some of the best athletes in the nation. The Nittany Lions may still be raw, but they are certainly setting themselves up for success in the future.
"I told the guys, today it didn't matter if we won or lost," DiFulvio said. "I was absolutely thrilled with the way we all competed because we had been doing that in the gym and we hadn't shown it yet. It was great to be able to show that and let the country know that we are up there with the best."
"We hit [our routines] and we were really close," Zakutney said. "It shows every other team in the NCAA we're fighters. Watch out. You don't underestimate Penn State."
The Nittany Lions will try to maintain their high level of competition next weekend as they head to the Winter Cup in Las Vegas.