FULL RESULTS
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The sixth-ranked Penn State men's gymnastics team opened the 2021 season with a 383.65-355.20 win over Army West Point in a non-conference meet Saturday. The meet was held virtually with the Nittany Lions competing at Rec Hall and the Black Knights competing at their practice facility.
"It was great to kick off the season and get into a competitive mode again after all these months," said Randy Jepson, who is in his 30th season as head coach of the Lions. "Certainly, we were rusty in some places, but the guys are excited to move forward with our preparation for our meet in two weeks with Illinois."
Penn State took individual wins in five of six events, including a pair of victories by senior Alex Frack on parallel bars and high bar. Senior Brennan Pantazis took first on floor, junior Nick Mock won pommel horse, and senior Parker Clayton earned the win on rings.
Mock picked up the first event win of his career, posting a score of 13.7 on pommel horse. He was the runner-up in the event three times last season and went on to earn CGA Regular Season All-America recognition. The Lions took the top three spots in the event as sophomore Chase Clingman was second and freshman Ethan Dick was third. Clingman posted a career-high score of 13.35, besting his previous high of 13.1. Dick, who just recently arrived to State College from Auckland, New Zealand, made his collegiate debut.
Frack had a solid all-around meet capped by wins in each of the final two events. He scored 13.0 on parallel bars and followed that with a 12.65 on high bar. He added a third-place finish on rings. Clayton was second on parallel bars and third on high bar, while Dick took third on parallel bars.
Pantazis, a captain for Penn State, wasted no time in getting his senior season off to a good start. He earned the win in the first event of the meet, scoring 13.55 on floor. He was followed in second and third by his teammates, Nate Warren and Kaleb Booth.
Adding a podium finish for the Lions was sophomore Robbie Shamp, who took third on vault.
"I was really proud of a lot of our guys. Nick Mock did a great job, and Parker Clayton was really solid. Brady Yamamoto and Kaleb Booth came in with no preparation due to some unfortunate circumstances, but they did a great job, and I was really proud of how they pulled through it and rocked it today."
Booth and Yamamoto were named co-winners of the meet's Gene Wettstone Award. It is the first time in the history of the award that it was shared by multiple gymnasts.
Penn State's next meet will have both teams at Rec Hall as the Lions host Big Ten foe Illinois on Sunday, Jan. 31.
