March 23, 2018
| Saturday, March 24 | 1 p.m. | Cliff Keen Arena Ann Arbor, Michigan | |
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March 23, 2018
PENN STATE TRAVELS FOR FINAL REGULAR SEASON MEET
The Penn State men's gymnastics team will travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan Saturday, March 24 for its final regular season meet when it takes on Michigan live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. The Nittany Lions and the Wolverines meet in dual action for the 22nd time in the history of the two programs with Penn State winning the meeting in 2017.
CATCHING THE MEET FROM HOME
Fans who cannot make it out to the meet on Saturday, can follow along with live results on MGoBlue.com, follow along live on Twitter and Instagram @PennStateMGYM, or watch live on the Big Ten Network.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MICHIGAN
The Nittany Lions own a 12-10 all-time series advantage and are 3-2 against the Wolverines in the last five meetings. The Blue and White will be looking for its first win at Cliff Keen Arena since the 2006 season when it brought a 209.400-206.450 win back to Happy Valley. Last season, Penn State won five of the six individual event titles at Rec Hall with then-freshman Sam Zakutney winning the floor exercise, parallel bars, and all-around title. For Michigan, Emyre Cole returns to compete after winning the vault last season in the dual.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
As a team, the Wolverines are the No. 8 overall team in the nation, while ranking fifth on the still rings. Individually, Jacob Moore and Emyre Cole both rank in the top five on the floor exercise with season averages of 14.390 and 14.362, respectively. Moore and Cole are the only two Wolverines ranking in the top five, while Marty Strech ranks eighth on the still rings with a 14.100 season average.
ZAKUTNEY ROARS BACK AGAINST NEBRASKA
Working his way back from injury, Sam Zakutney captured his fourth parallel bars title of the 2018 season against Nebraska, scoring a 14.600. Zakutney capped off the meet with his second win of the day, scoring a 13.600 to tie for first on the high bar with Nebraska's Jake Bonnay.
PANTAZIS CONTINUES TO BE STEADY
Freshman Brennan Pantazis earned a podium finish on the parallel bars against Nebraska, placing third overall with a 13.900, while finishing seventh on the vault and ninth on the floor. The podium finish on the parallel bars marked the 13th time this season in which he has finished in the top three for the Nittany Lions as he has picked up at least one podium finish on five events.
ROBERSON TAKES SEASON-HIGH SCORE ON STILL RINGS
Junior Noah Roberson notched his third still rings title of the 2018 season against Nebraska, scoring a team-best 14.400. The score was just .300 shy of his career-high of 14.700 and vaulted him into the top spot on the still rings for Penn State. Roberson currently ranks fifth nationally with a season-average of 13.925 and a NQA of 14.183.
NEXT UP
The Penn State men's gymnastics team will take a week off before it goes in search of its fourth Big Ten Championship and first since the 2015 season Friday, April 6-Saturday, April 7 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
