UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's gymnastics team heads to the Grand Canyon State to partake in the 2019 Arizona State Invitational with Air Force, Navy, NorCal United and host Arizona State on Saturday, March 9.
Penn State at the Arizona State Invitational
Meet Starts at 7 p.m. ET
RoadToNationals.Com Update
Penn State is currently ranked No. 4 on RoadToNationals with a 409.667 average on the season in final team score. Penn State is currently ranked No. 2 in both pommel horse, 68.150, and still rings, 70.050, average. They also rank third on high bar at 68.033. On pommel horse, Stephen Nedoroscik is No. 1 in the nation with a 15.233. Isaac Hammett is No. 3 in rings at 14.500, and Sam Zakutney is No. 3 in high bar at 14.400.
Nedoroscik Named to 12-Man US Senior National Team
Penn State men's gymnastics junior Stephen Nedoroscik has been named to the 12-man roster for the U.S. Men's Senior National Team through the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Mo. Nedoroscik was selected by the Men's Program Committee after his win on pommel horse at the 2019 Winter Cup Challenge this weekend. Nedoroscik's combined score for the weekend was 30.150, over a point and a half better than the second-place finisher at 28.500 in national team member Sam Mikulak. In the prelims, Nedoroscik scored a 15.150, and followed it up with a 15.000 in the finals. He was the only athlete to score a 15.00-plus on the pommel all meet.
Michael Burns is fully committed to service
When he is not in the gym, senior Michael Burns spends time helping others on a large scale through service trips around the world. Read Michael's full story HERE
Noah Roberson puts in the work in the gym and the classroom
This Williamsville, New York native is no stranger to academic success, having graduated high school with a 4.0 GPA. He continues to excel in academics at the collegiate level, boasting a 4.0 while double-majoring in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering. These high marks have earned him Academic Big Ten Honors, as well as two consecutive Elite 90 awards, bestowed upon the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average who has reached the competition at the finals site for their respective sport. Roberson, as a redshirt senior, is a member of Schreyer Honors College and is currently pursuing his master's degree while competing with Penn State. He also recently became engaged. Read more about Noah Roberson's successes HERE
Men's Gymnasts Balancing Academics and Athletics
Not only is the Penn State men's gymnastics team accomplished in their sport, they achieve high standings in academics, with every team member boasting an above-average GPA. Being a student-athlete is a massive time commitment, and part of that responsibility is successfully managing their athletic and academic careers. Read more about their ability to balance successfully HERE
Valdez Returns From Injury With Strong Performance at Army
Redshirt sophomore Favian Valdez competed in five events for the Nittany Lions at the West Point Open last weekend, making the finals in all five, and he went on to secure his first career pommel horse title as well. Read more about his road to recovery HERE
Build on Big Ten Success
Brennan Pantazis and Stephen Nedoroscik garnered First Team All-Big Ten honors, while junior Greg Tamargo was named to the second team. Pantazis and Nedoroscik became the 13th and 14th Big Ten Individual Event Champions in Penn State men's gymnastics history at the 2018 Big Ten Championships and are the first since Trevor Howard earned the high bar title in the 2016 campaign. Furthermore the duo are the first pair of Penn State gymnasts to earn a title in the same year since 2015 when Howard and Matthew Felleman each took home individual titles. Pantazis was just the second Penn State gymnast to capture the Big Ten floor exercise title and the first since Mike Dutka earned the honor in the 1998 season. Nedoroscik is the third Nittany Lion to notch the pommel horse title for Penn State as Craig Hernandez captured the title in both 2012 and 2013. Nedoroscik also joins the company of Dutka, who won three titles in the 1998 season, including the pommel horse victory.
