UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – While Penn State head men's gymnastics coach Randy Jepson has three national Coach of the Year honors to his name, he's bringing his expertise to the international stage next week. USA Gymnastics named Jepson the United States' coach for men's gymnastics for the World University Games with quarterfinals competition beginning Wednesday, July 3 in Naples, Italy.
Two individuals are set to compete in men's gymnastics for Team USA in the Palavesuvio sports complex. Penn State's Stephen Nedoroscik will compete as an individual on pommel horse and Illinois' Alex Diab will compete on floor, still rings, vault and high bar.
"The World University Games is a highly esteemed, highly competitive event and this is really a fine-tuning event in preparation for the World Championships later this fall," said Jepson. "Leading up to Naples, we've been working every day in the gym, making refinements and taking care of little things technically. With Stephen, particularly, he's zeroing in and getting ready for the meet environment. He was on the international floor earlier this year, so he knows what to expect."
Jepson served on the USA coaching staff for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games as Penn State alumnus Kevin Tan's personal coach. Tan achieved a lifelong dream by earning a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and captured a bronze medal in the team competition.
In his final year as a Nittany Lion assistant coach in 1991, Jepson was named head coach of the U.S. team that participated in the Cup of Puerto Rico international meet in San Juan. He coached Mike Masucci to a gold medal in the all-around and Masucci went on to capture four more gold medals in four other events. Masucci would become Penn State's first Big Ten champion in 1993.
Jepson's expertise has been instrumental in opening the door for Penn State student-athletes in gaining berths on the U.S. Senior National and Developmental squads while his Nittany Lions have competed for three other countries, in addition to the U.S.
Expanding his coaching knowledge and connections, Jepson also served as a member of both the 1997 and 2005 World Championships coaching staffs. He has been heavily involved in national team training camps, helping to prepare teams for the 1999 World Championships in China and 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
In 1999, Jepson was selected as assistant coach for the 1999 Pan American Games team competing in Winnipeg, Canada. For the 2006 World Championships and a meet vs. France and Switzerland, Jepson served as an assistant coach for Team USA. Prior to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, he guided a six-man U.S. team to a dual victory vs. Canada.
"Every international meet is a little different and you don't know what you might encounter," Jepson said. "I'm looking forward to this meet. It's my first time in Italy and we're all excited because the locale is spectacular, under the auspices of Mount Vesuvius, and the arena looks terrific. When it comes down to it, it's about getting the score and getting the job done, and we've been working hard to do that."
An NCAA finalist on rings at Oregon who would finish his collegiate career as a Nittany Lion All-American, Jepson will begin his 29th year as the head coach of the Nittany Lions' men's gymnastics program in 2019-20. Jepson stayed in Happy Valley as a graduate assistant coach following his graduation in 1983. Two years later, he was named an assistant coach, spending six years in that role before taking the reins of the Penn State program in 1992.
Streaming coverage of the World University Games will be available on OlympicChannel.com with more detailed schedule information available closer to the competition date.
Follow the Penn State men's gymnastics social media accounts for the most up-to-date news and information. The Nittany Lions can be found on Twitter at @PennStateMGYM, Facebook at @pennstatemensgymnastics and Instagram at @pennstatemgym.
