With just one meet left before the Big Ten Championships, the Nittany Lions are preparing for their season of hard work come to fruition. The team will travel to Minneapolis, Minn. to face Minnesota and Iowa in their last regular season meet at 3 p.m. today.
The team heads into their final meet in good favor, with a 6-1 record. The Nittany Lions earned victory against many conference and non-conference teams alike, losing only to Ohio State and Michigan. Each loss was by less than a 5.00 margin.
While the team could easily rest on their laurels as they head into the postseason, they're prepared to stay focused and finish strong. This season in particular has been one for the books, each gymnast on the team has contributed to the team immensely.
"We have a couple of standouts, but everybody is stepping up," Jepson said. "We need that."
The team has been in competition since early January, but practice started even earlier. With a season that lasts months on end, gymnastics requires a level of strength beyond physical, ensuring they are mentally strong to be able to achieve their ideal end result.
Redshirt senior Greg Tamargo is well aware of the mental capacity gymnastics requires. The 2018 All-American on still rings has his own strategies to keep himself in a winning mindset. He thinks of every meet as having the same weight as a championship meet, so there's no possibility of letting pressure negatively affect his performance. Tamargo came back from an injury last season to earn himself that All-American honor, maintaining his focus through the entirety of the season.
As for this season, Tamargo is confident the team has prepared for this phase of competition. With several seasons in Blue and White under his belt, he definitely knows when the team is ready to take victories, and he feels this year is one of the best.
"It's been more intense going into this postseason," Tamargo said. "I think we're more prepared as a team than we have been before."
This preparation comes from head coach Randy Jepson's attention to detail and helps the team avoid stagnant performances. Everyone is constantly looking to improve. Currently, Jepson is honing in on stuck landings, a detail that can add several points to routines and take the Nittany Lions up a notch.
"We're getting steadily better through the season, but we haven't peaked yet," Jepson said. "We're building on consistency."
Consistency is a strategy the team sticks to throughout every season. They keep their practice regimens the same for several months so come time to compete in championships, the guys already know what to expect and what works best for their bodies.
"They put all the hard work in and now it's just fine tuning," Jepson said. "We try to lay down habits that we carry out through the season."
The team has always focused on building consistency, but what kept them one step ahead this year was staying in great health. Jepson made it clear that the health of his athletes was a priority from the start of the season. The athletes took notice of Jepson's goal and how it helped them in their competitions.
"We've had a lot of issues previously with injuries," Tamargo said. "We've made being healthy one of our main obligations."
After months of hard work, the next few weeks of competition should be rewarding for the team. There's much more that goes into a winning finish than an abundance of practicing, and Tamargo and the team know how to balance it all.
"It comes down to taking care of aspects outside the gym," Tamargo said. "Organization, scheduling academics, eating properly."
Penn State is one of the most winning team in NCAA men's gymnastics, tying Oklahoma with 12 titles each. The excitement of the sport is not lost on the Nittany Lions, they are also enjoying their run as collegiate gymnasts.
"The guys are just ready to have fun," Jepson said.
