UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's gymnastics team took the top spot at Saturday's tri-meet with Air Force and Navy with the score of 410.300, while Navy scored a 393.95 team score and Air Force came in third with a 392.65.
"We had a strong showing, the wheels kind of fell off at the end, but I'm proud that our guys started to look sharper in some places, put up some big scores and certain spots, but we still have to have a complete meet," head coach Randy Jepson said. "Especially 5 out of 5 count now, we can't have any meltdowns and we did a little bit at the end. But we're encouraged and were walking out of here fairly healthy and we'll move onto Ohio State in another week."
Junior Isaac Hammett was the Gene Wettstone Gymnast of the Meet after posting a career-high 14.800 on the rings. His 14.800 was the third best performance around the nation this season.
Penn State also saw junior Stephen Nedoroscik put out a 15.25 on pommel, his second-best score of the season, and the second-best score around the nation.
On the floor, Penn State scored 66.950, with Chris Sands leading the way with a 13.750. Wyatt Tyndall recorded a 13.55, while Favian Valdez scored a 13.450. Brennan Pantazis recorded a 13.300, while Sam Zakutney scored a 12.90.
On Pommel, Nedoroscik's 15.25 led the way to a 69.100 on the rotation. Favian Valdez added a 14.050 score, while Jack Baldwin came in third for the event with a career-high 13.950. Freshman Nick Mock followed with a 13.750 for a personal best, and Michael Burns followed with a 12.100.
Through two events, Penn State scored 136.050.
Hammett's performance on rings was a highlight for the meet as he put together a 14.800 to lead to a team score of 70.900. Noah Roberson added a 14.450, while Parker Clayton added a 14. 200. Greg Tamargo also posted in the 14's at 14.000, while Sands added 13.450.
On vault, Pantazis led the way with 14.450 and Zakutney added a 14.350 to follow. Clayton scored a 14.200, while Wyatt Tyndall tacked on 14.050. Brayden Borromeo added a 13.850.
Through four events, Penn State recorded a 277.850.
On parallel bars, Wyatt Tyndall scored a 14.500 to lead the way, and Sam Zakutney added a 14.300. Clayton followed with a 13.300, and Valdez scored a 13.000. Alex Thomason recorded the final p-bar score with a 12.900.
On the final event, Zakutney closed out the even on a high with a high bar score of 14.100. Michael Burns tacked on a 13.700, while Valdez scored a 13.200. Tyndall recorded a 12.00, and Sands wrapped up the scoring with a 11.450.
Penn State returns to action on Saturday, March 2 at Ohio State at 2 p.m.
