UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's gymnastics opens Big Ten competition Saturday with a meet against Illinois at Rec Hall. The meet is scheduled for 4 p.m., and will be streamed on B1G+. It is a part of a double dual, coinciding with the women's gymnastics meet against the Illini.
The Lions are a perfect 10-0 on the season with a win over Army and titles at the six-team West Point Open and five-team Navy Open.
SERIES HISTORY
• Penn State leads 16-11 in the all-time series with Illinois.
• The Lions won two of the past three meets, including a 399.30-399.15 win at Rec Hall last season.
• Matt Cormier led the way in last season's win over the Illini. He won floor (14.35) and vault (14.60) while adding a runner-up finish on high bar (13.10). Ethan Dick was an event winner on parallel bars (13.65).
LAST TIME OUT
• Penn State competed in the Navy Open for the first time since 2014 and won the team title with a score of 385.850.
• Ethan Dick had a pair of event wins, taking first on vault (14.35) and parallel bars (14.15). Michael Jaroh finished first on rings (14.20).
• Posting runner-up finishes for Penn State were Kaleb Booth on floor (13.70), Chase Clingman on pommel horse (13.20) and Michael Artlip on vault (14.25).
B1G WEEKLY AWARDS
Gymnast of the Week (1) - Ethan Dick (1/24)
GENE WETTSTONE AWARD
• The first Gene Wettstone Award, given to the MVP of meets at Rec Hall, went to Andres Perez Gines in the win over Army.
• He placed in the top three in all three events in which he competed, including a first-place finish with a score of 12.60 on parallel bars. He was the runner-up on high bar and added a third-place showing on pommel horse.
B1G GYMNASTS TO WATCH
• Sophomores Matt Cormier and Michael Jaroh were named Gymnasts to Watch by the Big Ten earlier this week.
• Jaroh earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors and Cormier added one last season. Jaroh also had one Big Ten Gymnast of the Week award.
TEAM CAPTAIN NAMED
• Senior Andres Perez Gines will serve as team captain this season, taking over for Brennan Pantazis.
LONG TRADITION
• Penn State is tied with Oklahoma for the most NCAA team titles (12) and has more NCAA Championships appearances (66) than any team in the history of the sport.
B1G CHAMPIONSHIPS AT REC HALL
• It's never too early to get excited for postseason competition at Rec Hall. The Big Ten Championships will be held at Penn State on April 1-2.
UP NEXT
• Penn State goes on the road to take on Nebraska on Saturday, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m.
