UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In spite of his superb accomplishments in the gym, senior Sam Zakutney's most valuable asset was his reliability.
"Sam has been one of the biggest workhorses we've had in my tenure here," head coach Randy Jepson said. "His work ethic has been second to none."
"The first few days that I had with Randy [Jepson], he would always mention to help everybody by leaving this place better than we found it," Zakutney said. "Looking back on everything that I've tried to accomplish for myself and for the team, I feel like I've done a good share."
Throughout the past four years, Zakutney's passion for gymnastics, along with his love for the Penn State program, was on full display.
Though he battled with lingering injuries for the majority of his Penn State career, the three-time All-American courageously set the foundation for the teammates around him.
"Sam's a guy that, in many ways, has been the backbone of our team for the four years he's been here," Jepson said. "We didn't have a lot of all-around men, so we relied on him heavily throughout his career and he always delivered."
Zakutney, originally from Ontario, was a four-time Elite Canada all-around champion and three-time all-around national champion. Among a multitude of different awards, Zakutney was also named Male Gymnast of the Year for Ottawa Gymnastics Centre in 2016.
Zakutney's high school campaign had been so eventful that by the time he arrived at Penn State , he already knew what it took to succeed at a high level.
"I definitely had a lot of familiarity in terms of training properly and being dedicated to giving my all," Zakutney said. "The majority of my high school career was about establishing discipline."
With the tenacity Zakutney had manifested prior to his journey as a Nittany Lion, it was seemingly inevitable that his tangible skill set would only flourish as time went by.
"It was never a matter of finding the love for the sport because that's always been there," Zakutney said. "I always loved training and trying new things."
But according to Zakutney, Penn State helped him improve in a mental aspect by pushing him outside of his comfort zone. Consequently, what was once his most glaring weakness, his confidence, now serves as one of his biggest strengths.
"All throughout high school, I did not like competing. I always would second guess myself, and was very nervous and very timid," Zakutney said. "I've gained a lot more confidence in myself as a gymnast and a person."
Whether it was in the eyes of his teammates or voters around the country, Zakuntey's willingness to branch out and serve as the team's primary all-around gymnast did not go unnoticed.
In his first season, Zakutney earned his first career All-American honor on parallel bars and was also voted Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Zakutney then followed that up by notching two more All-American awards, placing third on parallel bars and seventh on high bar in his sophomore year.
It was during his junior season, however, when Zakutney assertively left his fingerprint on the gymnastics world, if he hadn't done so already.
Zakutney continued to build off of his previous successes, as he captured a Big Ten title and earned first team All-Big Ten status on parallel bars. But it was Zakutney's successful reconnection with his homeland that warranted international acclaim.
That same year, Zakutney joined Team Canada, where he became the Canadian all-around champion. Zakutney, a member of two world championship teams, has also won numerous World Cup medals in his young career.
"It was there I think I established to everyone that I am a very reliable competitor," Zakutney said.
"He's done a great job representing Canada, but in doing so he's also represented Penn State in a great way," Jepson said.
Zakutney's senior season deviated from the norm. An ankle injury and the season cancellation prevented him from reaching the goals he had set out at the beginning of the year.
Despite fighting through pain in a season that would ultimately end up being cancelled, Zakutney views the unfortunate situation in a more positive light. Zakutney will continue to compete with Team Canada and pursue his concurrent degree in biomedical and mechanical engineering.
"Initially, of course, I was upset that I wouldn't be fighting for a Big Ten or NCAA title," Zakutney said. "But I'd be a lot more upset with how this season turned out if I didn't do enough.
"Sure there's always more that you can do, but that's where people get upset. I'm just trying to reflect on all the great times I had because we had a lot of them."
