UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's gymnastics team heads to the 2019 Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, Iowa as the University of Iowa hosts the meet on April 5-6.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday April 5th - Team Competition starting at 7 p.m. (CT)
Saturday April 6th - Individual Event Finals starting at 7 p.m. (CT)
TICKETS
Tickets may be pre-ordered through HawkeyeSports.com or by contacting the University of Iowa Athletics Ticket Office at (800) 424-2957. During the Championships, tickets can be purchased inside the North, South, and West Entrances of Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Please contact the Iowa Athletics Ticket Office for more information.
All-Session Pass
$10 / $7 Group (20 or more)
Single Session Ticket
$7 / $4 Group (20 or more)
RoadToNationals.Com Update
Penn State is currently ranked No. 5 on RoadToNationals with a 408.733 average on the season in final team score. Penn State is currently ranked No. 3 in pommel horse, 67.867. They also rank third on high bar at 67.800 and on rings at 69.650. On pommel horse, Stephen Nedoroscik is No. 1 in the nation with a 15.133. Noah Roberson is No. 4 (14.350) and Isaac Hammett is No. 6 on rings at 14.283, and Sam Zakutney is No. 7 in high bar at 14.117.
Chris Sands' Leadership Years In the Making
Before coming to Penn State, Sands' teammates from his club gym went on to become captains on collegiate men's gymnastics teams. Training with them prepared Sands to follow their lead as a team captain. Two notable teammates from his club gym include former Penn State captain Allen Harris and former Navy captain Eric Poletti.
"This was a position I wanted my whole college career," Sands said. "Everything I did was to put myself in the best position to get there."
Sands has had a successful career in Blue and White, earning three victories in floor exercise and a victory on rings last season as well as Academic All-Big Ten recognition. This season, he has three podium finishes under his belt. Read more about Sands' story
Wyatt Tyndall in Friendly Competition with his Brothers
With brothers competing on opposing gymnastics teams, Wyatt Tyndall will have an interesting competition ahead of him at Big Tens and NCAAs. His brothers, Jesse and Mitch, compete for Ohio State and Nebraska, respectively. The Canadian trio has always incorporated gymnastics into their lives, training under the same coach, Markos Baikas of Taiso Gymnastics, who has worked with them since they were each 5. Read Wyatt's full story HERE
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.
