UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Junior Chase Clingman won the pommel horse title at the Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday at Rec Hall, leading a group of four Penn State gymnasts to earn All-Big Ten recognition on their home floor.
Clingman was joined on the All-Big Ten first team by sophomore Michael Jaroh, who finished fifth in the all-around competition on Friday night. Penn State freshman Josh Karnes made the second team with a runner-up finish on parallel bars during the event finals Saturday. Karnes was joined on the second team by senior Nick Mock, who took third on pommel horse.
Clingman's pommel horse title came with a personal-best score of 14.425. That eclipsed his previous high score of 13.8 that he set twice, the most recent of which came during the team competition on Friday night.
With defending national champion Ian Skirkey (Illinois) scoring 14.375 prior to his final routine, Clingman knew he would need a score way above his previous best but tried to push that to the back of his mind before competing.
"I was a little worried at first after seeing his routine, but I tried not to pay too much attention," Clingman said. "I knew I needed to just focus on me and my performance."
Mock was the final competitor of the night on pommel horse, so Penn State knew it would have a champion in the event. Clingman cheered on his teammate, content with any result that had the Lions putting two on the podium.
"I was hoping for the best for him," Clingman said. "I would be perfectly fine if he won. I was happy with first or second and was glad to be on the podium with him."
"Chase used the time over the summer to really get stronger. It's been evident in his work all year, but he hadn't really broken through," Penn State head coach Randy Jepson said. "He really gained confidence in the second half of the year. That routine is fitting him like a glove. He came out and rocked it."
Mock put together a solid routine to make the final result interesting, scoring 14.075 on his way to a third-place finish. He earned a spot on the All-Big Ten second team for the second-straight year.
Clingman's title was Penn State's fifth on pommel horse since joining the Big Ten in 1992. He joins Stephen Nedoroscik (2018), Craig Hernandez (2012, 2013), and Mike Dutka (1998) as Nittany Lions to win titles in the event.
Karnes showed the potential the Penn State coaching staff has raved about with a breakthrough performance on parallel bars. The freshman took the lead with a personal-best score of 14.3, easily besting his previous high score of 13.8 set the night before, with four gymnasts to go. Only Michigan's Evgeny Siminiuc (14.5) was able to top him, giving Karnes the silver at the championship meet. His score was the highest on parallel bars by a Penn State gymnast this season.
Jaroh secured first-team All-Big Ten status with his all-around performance on Friday night but turned in another solid effort on Saturday. He was third on vault with a score of 14.5 and scored 13.8 to take fifth on rings. The sophomore made the first team for the second-straight year.
"It was a really spirited effort. Our guys showed a lot of grit and came out and performed very well," Jepson said. "We got a Big Ten champion in Chase Clingman, a second-place finish from Karnes on parallel bars and thirds from Nick Mock on pommel horse and Michael Jaroh on vault. I'm really happy for the guys that competed tonight."
Penn State now turns its attention to the NCAA Championships, which will be held at Oklahoma's Lloyd Noble Center on April 15-16.
