| Saturday, March 25 | 3 p.m. | University Park, Pa. | | Rec Hall |
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March 24, 2017
MEN'S GYMNASTICS CLOSES REGULAR SEASON AT REC HALL
The Penn State men's gymnastics will end its 2017 regular season inside the friendly confines of Rec Hall Saturday, March 25 at 3 p.m. against Iowa. The Nittany Lions will celebrate the four-year careers of their six seniors following the meet against the Hawkeyes. Finally, the meet will be featured on the Big Ten Network.
SERIES HISTORY WITH IOWA
The Nittany Lions lead the all-time series with the Hawkeyes 14-10-1. However, the Hawkeyes picked up a victory three weeks ago over Penn State in Lincoln, Nebraska in the annual tri-meet between Nebraska, Iowa and Penn State. Iowa notched the 413.500-409.600 victory over the Nittany Lions to take second-place at the meet, while Nebraska earned the victory over both schools. The Blue and White will be looking for its first victory over Iowa since the 2015 season as it fell to the Hawkeyes in Iowa City in 2016. Prior to the 2016 campaign, Penn State had not lost a regular season dual to Iowa since the 1998 season at the University of Michigan.
PENN STATE COMES TO COMPETE AT REC HALL
The Nittany Lions have seen a lot of success inside Rec Hall in the past three seasons. This year, Penn State holds a 2-1 record defeating both Army and Michigan, while winning all three of its home meets in the 2016 season. Prior to 2016, the Nittany Lions notched their third Big Ten Conference title inside the friendly confines of Rec Hall, while also going 4-0 in the regular season at home.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHTS
The Penn Sate men's gymnastics team will recognize the careers of six student-athletes this Saturday against Iowa. Below is a brief recap of their four-year careers donning the Blue and White.
- Joseph Boyle - Boyle has competed on three events in his time as a Nittany Lion, including floor, vault and high bar. The Colts Neck, N.J. native has been named a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a Second Team CGA All-American Scholar-Athlete. Boyle will graduate from Penn State with a degree in biology with a focus in vertebrate physiology.
- Franz Card - Card has been a staple on the parallel bars and high bar for Penn State the past two seasons. The Nashua, N.H. native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a three time Second Team CGA All-American Scholar-Athlete. Card will graduate from Penn State with a degree in mechanical engineering.
- Leroy Clarke, Jr. - Clarke is a two-time All-American earning the honor on the parallel bars in 2015 and on the still rings in 2016. Most recently, Clarke earned Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honors and CGA National Gymnast of the Week honors after earning four podium finishes including two titles against Michigan. Clarke will graduate from Penn State with a degree in economics.
- Dominic DiFulvio - DiFulvio was named captain for his senior season donning the Blue and White and has won 12 titles in the 2017 campaign for Penn State, including six still rings titles in 10 weeks. The Marietta, N.Y. native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a two-time Second Team CGA All-American Scholar-Athlete. DiFulvio will graduate from Penn State with a degree in aerospace engineering.
- Christian McSwain - McSwain has appeared in five events in his career as a Nittany Lion, most recently pacing Penn State on the floor exercise with a season-best 14.600. The Jamestown, N.C. native is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and a Second Team CGA All-American Scholar-Athlete in the 2015 season. McSwain will graduate from Penn State with a degree in biobehavioral engineering.
- Jeremy Munn - Munn has competed on both the floor and vault in his four-year career and has been a mainstay on the vault in his senior season. The York, Maine native earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in his junior campaign and will graduate from Penn State with a degree in kinesiology with a focus in movement science.
CLARKE HAS PREMEIRE WEEK IN ALL FOUR EVENTS
Penn State gymnastics senior Leroy Clarke, Jr. has been named the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) Gymnast of the Week. The honor marks the first of Clarke's career and the first time a Penn State gymnast has earned the award since Trevor Howard captured the honor January 14, 2016. This past weekend, Clarke picked up two individual event titles with a win on the pommel horse and a win on the high bar against Michigan. The senior competed in four events on the day, earning a podium finish in each. Clarke placed second on the still rings and nabbed a third-place finish on the parallel bars in the Nittany Lions victory. For his efforts, Clarke was also named Big Ten Gymnast of the Week for the first time in his career donning the Blue and White. Heading into the final week of the regular season, Clarke ranks seventh on the pommel horse (14.000) and ties for ninth on the parallel bars (13.727). In his final season donning the Blue and White, Clarke has earned seven individual event titles and has stood on the podium a total of 20 times in the 2017 campaign.
ZAKUTNEY BRINGS HOME FOURTH FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK HONOR
Freshman Sam Zakutney earned his fourth freshman of the week honor of the 2017 season after bringing home three titles against Michigan. Zakutney notched three first-place finishes for Penn State against Michigan with his first floor title, his fifth parallel bars title and his third all-around title. Zakutney also secured a podium finish on the high bar, placing third overall for the Blue and White.
TOP FIVE IN THREE EVENTS
Penn State comes into the final week of the regular season ranking in the top five on three of the six events. The Nittany Lions rank third on both the pommel horse and the still rings, while coming in at No. 4 on the parallel bars. This season, the Blue and White are averaging a 68.369 on pommel horse, a 68.975 on still rings and a 69.038 on the parallel bars.
NITTANY LIONS TAKE ONE FROM MICHIGAN
Penn State men's gymnastics saw one season-best as it closed out the meet with a 68.250 on the parallel bars and had five individual event wins with senior Leroy Clarke, Jr. and freshman Sam Zakutney each earned two event titles and senior Dominic DiFulvio earned the still rings title. Zakutney also picked up the all-around win as the lone competitor.
NEXT UP
The Nittany Lions will take a week off of competition in preparation for the 2017 Big Ten Championships, hosted by Illinois April 7-April 8. Both days of the championships will be aired live on the Big Ten Network with team finals on Friday and individual event finals on Saturday.
