April 6, 2018
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Penn State men's gymnastics placed third overall at the 2018 Big Ten Championships, scoring a 406.350, while the Illinois men's gymnastics team took home the title with a 413.900 on the campus of the University of Michigan Friday, April 6.
Michigan came in second overall behind the Fighting Illini, scoring a 408.600, Penn State placed third, while Ohio State came in fourth with a 405.600. Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa rounded out the final three spots, respectively.
"Well fought meet tonight, we were in the hunt but fell a little short," stated head coach Randy Jepson. "I was pleased with the effort from our guys, their enthusiasm, and their passion. The good news is that we get round two two weeks from tonight at the NCAA qualifier. We are looking to advance from there into the finals. Great effort overall and pretty pleased with the overall effort from our guys."
Six Nittany Lions secured spots in the individual event finals with Brennan Pantazis (Sparks, Nev.), Stephen Nedoroscik (Worcester, Mass.), Greg Tamargo (Kennett Square, Pa.), Chris Sands (Lancaster, Pa.), Sam Zakutney (Ottawa, Ontario), and Michael Burns (Baltimore, Ohio) all earning a spot to compete on Saturday. Pantazis will compete on the floor exercise, Nedoroscik will compete on the pommel horse, Tamargo and Sands will compete on the still rings, Zakutney will compete on the parallel bars, and Burns will wrap things up on the high bar.
The Blue and White scored a 68.550 on the still rings with Tamargo and Sands tying for fifth overall with matching 13.950s, while Noah Roberson (Williamsville, N.Y.) placed 11th overall with a 13.800. After one complete rotation, the Nittany Lions sat in third overall.
In a competitive vault atmosphere, Penn State put together its best rotation of the 2018 season with a 71.150. Sophomore Brayden Borromeo (Littlestown, Pa.) placed 12th overall to lead the Nittany Lions with a 14.500, while Zakutney and Pantazis tied for second for the Blue and White with matching 14.250s.
Zakutney tied for second overall with Alec Yoder and Chris Coombs of Ohio State, who all scored 14.000s, on the parallel bars. As a team, Penn State scored a 67.400 and Burns and Tyndall rounded out the top three for the Blue and White with 13.450s.
Following the fourth rotation, Penn State was in fourth overall notching a 64.350 behind a team-best 13.800 from Burns on the high bar to tie for fifth overall. Zakutney came in second for the Nittany Lions with a 13.400 and Sands capped off the top three scorers for the Blue and White with a 13.150.
Pantazis secured his spot in the individual event finals when he scored a 14.300 on the floor exercise to tie for fourth overall, while Sands, Tyndall, and Zakutney all scored 13.750s going into the bye rotation.
After a bye in the sixth rotation of the night, Nedoroscik continued to impress on the pommel horse, placing third overall with a 14.500. Freshman Jack Baldwin (Mexico, N.Y.) scored a 13.500 in his first Big Ten Championship appearance for the Nittany Lions.
Both Pantazis and Zakutney competed in the all-around for the Nittany Lions with Pantazis placing ninth overall.. Penn State was unable to make up the difference that Illinois had made, placing third overall in the Big Ten Championships.
Up Next:
Penn State will have six individuals competing for event titles Saturday, April 7 at 7 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.