RESULTS
WEST POINT, N.Y. – Two-time NCAA champion Stephen Nedoroscik scored a personal-best 15.500 on pommel horse, and junior Brennan Pantazis was the runner-up in the all-around competition to help short-handed No. 7 Penn State win the West Point Open title for a seventh consecutive season Friday night at Christl Arena.
"We had a decent start tonight, hitting 73 percent on our routines for a victory at the West Point Open," said head coach Randy Jepson, who opened his 29th season leading the Nittany Lions. "It's a good momentum builder. I'm really proud of our guys. They had a really gritty meet as we had some early mistakes but came back with a lot of hits in the end."
The Nittany Lions, who were missing multiple competitors due to injury, including All-American Sam Zakutney, won with a score of 403.400, finishing more than seven points better than runner-up Arizona State (395.850). Navy (395.450), Army West Point (388.550), William and Mary (377.550), Springfield College (376.900) and Temple (356.250) rounded out the seven-team event.
The top eight finishers in the prelims – with a limit of three per team – advance to the individual event finals to be held on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Lions won all six individual events at last year's meet.
Nedoroscik's 15.500 season-opening pommel horse routine tied Craig Hernandez for the ninth best in program history but was the best score under modern-day judging. The three-time All-American's previous best score was 15.300 and came at the 2019 West Point Open.
Jepson was pleased with Nedoroscik's first routine of the season but also noted that the senior has more he can do with it as the season progresses.
Pantazis qualified for the Winter Cup with his all-around performance, taking second with a cumulative score of 79.250. He qualified for the individual event finals in two events, taking second on parallel bars and fourth on high bar in the prelims. He scored a personal-best 13.300 on high bar.
Penn State had the top prelims score in four events, highlighted by taking the top four spots on parallel bars. Sophomore Eric Lung made his collegiate debut and had the best score (13.300). He was followed by Pantazis, freshman Nate Warren and sophomore Nick Mock.
Mock had a solid first day of competition as he posted the second-highest score behind Nedoroscik with a personal-best 14.200 on pommel horse. Jack Baldwin and Favian Valdez also finished in the top eight in the prelims at fourth and fifth, respectively.
Sophomore Alex Frack was lauded by Jepson in the days leading up to the meet for his improvement in the offseason and he didn't disappoint on Friday. His personal-best score of 14.000 led all competitors on high bar. He will be joined by Pantazis in the finals on Saturday.
Senior Isaac Hammett had the best score of the night on rings, posting a 14.350. He will be joined in the finals by teammates Brayden Borromeo and Lung, who were third and seventh, respectively.
Borromeo also qualified for the finals on vault with a third-place finish. Sophomore transfer Kaleb Booth qualified in fifth, while freshman Robbie Shamp did so in eighth.
"I was really proud of a lot of our guys, especially some of our new guys," Jepson said. "It was nice to see some of those new faces really step up and come through for us this early in the season."
PENN STATE FINALS QUALIFIERS
(only three per team can compete)
High Bar
1. Frack (14.000)
4. Pantazis (13.300)
Parallel Bars
1. Lung (13.300)
2. Pantazis (13.150)
3. Warren (12.900)
4. Mock (12.8500
Pommel Horse
1. Nedoroscik (15.500)
2. Mock (14.200)
4. Baldwin (13.750)
5. Valdez (13.650) (Will not compete due to team limit)
Rings
1. Hammett (14.350)
3. Borromeo (13.850)
7. Lung (13.550)
Vault
3. Borromeo (14.350)
5. Booth (14.300)
8. Shamp (14.250)
8. Pantazis (14.250) (Will not compete due to team limit)
Floor
11. Booth (13.300) (Qualified following team scratches)
